A Mixture of Demons
by Just Chloe
Summary: when an anomaly shows she has more power than anyone could have expected it takes a toll. The Scarlet Witch only knows so much about mutants and Bucky and Bruce only know so much about human testing, will it be enough to help this deadly mixture of both? Bruce Banner/OC ship. appearances by Quicksilver, Scarlet witch, Captain America, Bucky Barnes, Bruce Banner and OC.
1. Chapter 1: floors and levels

**This is my second fanfic and its based off a roleplay I did with a friend witch turned out to be very interesting so I thought 'hey... do a fanfic about it Chloe..." so... I did... please R &R I don't care if its criticism as long as you stay nice about it. ENJOY! (warning: there is going to be some language and gore in later chapters so read to your own risk.)**

"Good morning Pietro." Wanda whispered somberly as she sat down in a hard chair next to her brother's hospital bed, she set her coffee down on the table next to her and leaned over to sweep a flock of silvery hair out of his eyes. "I finally got my place set up on the twentieth floor, and I got to hanging up those pictures and I got those nice maroon bed sheets I told you about, it looks nice…. Oh and stark is going to let you have the twenty **first** floor. So, you can sleep above me just like at home." She smiled at thinking about when they were little and Pietro always insisted on sleeping on the top bunk bed, even though Wanda didn't mind, she only put up a fight for the fun of it. She always found being close to her brother the most comforting part of her life, which was why his recovery was such a strain on her. She made sure to see him at least once a day and refused to leave New York until he was back on his feet. No one. **No one** would keep her from her brother.

" **Get her tied down and get banner in here now!"** Steve's voice rang out like a heavy bell as the door of the hospital ward sung open.

The Scarlet Witch released her brother's hand and loped over the door that lead to the hallway to get a better view of the commotion.

"Captain Rogers?! Vhats happening?!" she asked as Steve bound towards her with is hand on the rail of a hospital bed which was surrounded by nurses and doctors hovering over a patient.

"Come with me." his voice focused and firm as he motioned her to follow.

She looked back at her brother for a split second and decided she would come back for him and followed the fast moving cart, half stumbling in her combat boots.

She tried to get a read on the person in the wheeled bed as she strode swiftly down the hallway but her mind was filled with steely purple and black sparks, her mind was an earthquake of unfocused white noice. It made her skull ring even after she left her mind.

She stopped outside the door the patient was being wheeled into and caught a glance of her. She had very pale skin and reddish brown hair that had been cut just below her jawline. She had a rare ageless quality to her face, she could pass for anywhere from thirteen to twenty five. But even odder, she was surrounded by deep purple shimmering flecks. They simply floated around her as she writhed against the straps on her limbs. Her eyes were clamped shut and she was fighting against the restraints on her wrists and ankles. She was moaning and whining like an animal in a trap as she was swept into the room.

"Banner? We need you on the third floor ASAP." Cap ordered into his communicator.

"Coming."

Steve could clearly feel Wanda's eyes on him when he whipped to look at her, "We need you to probe her mind once she stable and tell us everything you can find."

"First you tell me what's happening." She interrupted.

Steve sighed "I was sent out to investigate a strange energy reading in some abandoned building in Brooklyn. SHEILD thought it was another Asgaurdian object but we found her. She was levitating on the top floor pulling the whole building towards her. It would have completely collapsed if we hadn't come so soon."

"Pulling it in?" Wanda asked, intrigued. She had a glint of an idea of what she could be but she wasn't going to make any assumptions yet, and decided to keep it in the back of her mind.

Steve looked around and decided there where to many people around for details about any assignments. "Would you mind if we spoke somewhere a little more secluded?"

Wanda cocked up an eyebrow, "No." her sultry accent making the word sound velvety as it rolled from her lips.

He led her to a private elevator and pressed the floor that lead to Dr. Banner's lab.

"It seemed to be gravitating towards her," he said once the doors closed. "The walls warped towards her while she just floated. She seemed to be in pain…" he paused as he recalled the incident, "she said something about not wanting to hurt anyone and for us to get away but it was hard to hear past the wind….. It was, "Steve struggled to find the word. "Overwhelming. I've never seen anything like it. Except for you and Pietro of course."

The smooth metallic elevator doors opened to reveal Bruce scurrying around his lab, from counter to counter, microscope to microscope, until his gaze crossed Wanda and Steve standing in the door way.

"Oh. Hey. Uh. Blood sample." He said flusterdly as he gestured towards a counter full of test tubes and glass computer screens full of moving charts and tiny writing which was scrolling across the screen.

"Vhat does it say?" Wanda inquired calmly as she observed all the equipment that filled the space.

Banner hurried over to a screen and examined the scrolling words while Steve looked expectantly at him.

"She's…." He looked harder at the screen, rereading the information just to make sure he had read it correctly. "She's a mutant." Bruce swallowed audibly and took off his glasses. "Class six."


	2. Chapter 2: dark places

**For those of you who don't know the Scarlet Witch's name is Wanda Maximoff and Quicksilver's name is Pietro Maximoff. Sorry for the confusion.**

The Scarlet Witch's eye widened, "that's impossible…." She said in a low voice.

"Apparently not. There seems to be other rather strange abnormalities in her DNA but it may take some time to sort out. I can give a full report tomorrow." Banner replied as he went back to his microscope and further tinkered with her blood samples. "JARVIS? Give me a status report on the newest patient on floor three?"

"Sedated and stable, sir. Oh and Pietro Maximoff is continuing to remain in a stable state despite his coma, I estimate he will be fully conscious within the week" Replied the British voice surrounding the room.

Wanda gave a silently relieved exhale before she turned to Captain Rogers, "I'll go make sure she's ok."

"Thank you."

Wanda strode soundlessly into the new patents room, her eyes constantly scanning her surroundings as she approached the bed. she looked at the sleeping face for a moment, mentally preparing herself for the plunge. She placed her hands just above both of her temples and closed her eyes.

There was quite a bit of fog in front of any memories, (evidence of being very heavily sedated) but she was able to work through it. What she saw astounded her. This young girl, probably around fifteen, was surrounded by demons. She had thoroughly seen each of her team mates deepest, blackest thoughts but this, this astounded her. Her face hid it well. She had the look of an innocent. Smooth scarless skin, doe eyes, sweet rosy lips, they hid every murky thought and memory perfectly. Unlike Natasha, she had a dark, pained look in her eyes, the kind from years filled with blood and death... but nothing compared to this.

The dive into her memory felt like being submerged in ice water, everything was clammy and it made all of her nerves buzz. She saw syringes everywhere, scalpels and an abundance of blood and multiple homemade looking medical supplies. It was absolutely gruesome but something told her to keep looking. She saw dank chilly walls behind a deranged and unkept looking man who was mumbling something unsettling as he approached with a long, dirty looking needle. That's when she started to hear a song playing in the background. It sounded like a horse, exhausted voice singing in an echoy room. She closed in on the memory to find the girl lying before her strapped to a dentist chair.

She was alone in what looked like a basement. There was a steady drip coming from the ceiling and on the ground filling the silence and the air with the stench of mildew and iron. On the table across from her was an unholy mess of dead animal parts and test tubes and bloody scalpels and empty IV bags, there was intestines tacked to a large board on the wall. Papers were strung everywhere, full of scribbled notes she couldn't read. There was a dim light coming from a desk lamp that continued to flicker allowing gruesome shadows to decorate the walls. It was horrifying but the music didn't stop. She sat still in her worn leather ties at her wrists and shins and head and collarbone, singing. It sounded desolate and sad but defiant in the same ways.

' _Do you hear the people sing…? Singing the song of angry men…. This is the music… if the people…. Who will not be slaves again…. And when the beating of your heart…. Echoes the beating to the drums…. There is a life, about to start when tomorrow comes….'_ The voice sounded like it was choked and out of breath, but she could feel her fatigue. She wasn't able to cry, she was too tired.

The memory's eye turned to her hands, her finger nails were lined with caked blood and dirt and her wrists were purple and irritated.

another memory flashed for a moment that could have been hours or just a fleeting second. there was a dull sawing sound flooding the room. the girl pulled open her eyes. there was a large serrated saw grinding itself against her exposed ribs. all of her skin and muscle had been pulled back and she could even see her lungs, quivering and heaving inside her. a piercing scream sliced the stillness as she registered what was happening. all of her muscles began to spasm against leather and metal shackles while the blade continued against her pearly, blood stained ribs. it felt like sharp nails here clawing at her ribs and lungs until it turned to a deep ache and her body went into shock. there was a balding middle aged man with his eyes wild and vice-like as they stared down at the enormous blade, grinding back and forth against his patient.

"its already beginning to grow back!" he uttered to himself in a stuttered, deranged murmur.

" _ **Who are you?"**_ a voice sounded, wiping away the memory from view, it sounded firm and hostile but Wanda wasn't as afraid of the demanding tone as she was what she had just seen.

" _Wanda Maximoff. Who are you?"_

" _Odessa Brawn. What are you doing with my head?"_ she replied simply.

" _I'm probing you mind. I'm trying to find out if you're very stable."_

" _I'm sure you have your answer. Now get out of my head."_ This, Odessa, sounded annoyed with her presents and hand no want for Wanda to stay within her mind a moment longer.

" _As you wish."_

Wanda removed her hands and opened her eyes to find a tear had escaped them without her noticing. her hold body was clammy and trembling and she couldn't shake the unnerved feeling deep in her gut. She quickly wiped it away and got up from her chair as swiftly as she could. She went back to the elevator and debated witch floor to press. She finally decided to find Steve and see what he thought she should do.

The elevator door opened and she stepped forward to knock on Steve's door. He opened the door wearing grey sweat pants and a shirt with Rosie the riveter plastered across the chest.

"Hey what cha need?" he asked nonchalantly with is eyebrows raised.

"May I come in please?" Wanda's slightly shaken voice immediately catching Steve's attention.

"Of course." Steve answered as he moved out of the door way. "Are you okay?"

It was an unspoken rule that if someone came to your door alone and looks like they needed help you would let them in, no questions asked. Natasha had come to Steve a few times looking pale and clammy and slept on the opposite side of the bed with him. Bruce had come once and was having some kind of nervous breakdown and ended up sleeping on his couch. Even Tony came once while Pepper was out of town. He was drunk and having some kind of anxiety attack and ended up crashing on the couch as well. Steve was very sure tony didn't remember it though. He had even gone to Natasha once or twice after the found out Bucky was okay, simply distressed and not wanting to be alone. No one talked about it after it happened, they just went along with they're business once they woke up. Offered breakfast and the like. Steve thought this wouldn't be any different.

"That girl…. The- the mutant…" she struggled to find the proper way to start, "she… your friend, James, she needs to see him when she's up…"

"What? Why?" Steve asked, ' _why in the world would she need to see Bucky?'_

"They have quite a bit in common." She replied, avoiding Caps gaze as she glanced at the TV which was showing a paused episode of _The Twilight Zone_.

"In what way?" Steve continued to rack his brain. He hadn't seen any prosthetics on her, her finger prints showed no ties to HYDRA, if she had been in suspended animation Steve would have been the first choice to see her, what else is there?

"She… she's been… tested on…" her accent smoothing over the stuttered words, "her mind is a very dark place… the only people like it are your friend or… maybe Widow. Bruce's head compared to her it's like, uh…" she struggled to find the words, "your Disney land." She studied her chipping black nail polish hoping not to recall what she had seen inside her mind, she found such visions made her feel light headed and the room began to spin ever so slightly.

Her mind was screaming for her to stop thinking about that girl, but she simply couldn't.

 **Yes I know I'm such a fucking theatre nerd I couldn't resist. But her knowledge about the movie will make sense in later chapters so don't worry. If you want to hear the song it's on YouTube just type in do you hear the people sing Les Mis, I'm sure you'll find it. also I was hoping to depict the doctor sawing her ribs off to look a lot like doctor Arden from American horror story season two. Please R &R.**


	3. Chapter 3: wide eyed

Bucky woke up wishing he hadn't. He peeled his eyes open, still feeling completely spent but he rolled over regardless and tried to clear the blur in his eyes as he studied the clock next to him.

"Good morning sergeant Barnes. Captain Rogers and Miss Maximoff have requested that you join them in the communal kitchen. Is there anything I can do for you this morning?" the polite English accent asked from the surround sound speakers on his floor.

Bucky rubbed his face, still trying to shake his fatigue. "I'm never gunna get used to that…." He grumbled, "Wait. Steve needs me? For what?" he asked as he sat up and began to stretch.

"I believe it's regarding a Miss Odessa Brawn, the new patient in floor three." JARVIS responded plainly.

"What?" Bucky had never heard of this girl before and frankly was too tired to care.

"Miss Odessa Brawn. SHEILD medical records state that she is around age fifteen, five foot three inches tall, and a class six mutant. She was admitted at 5:33pm yesterday. She has a high tolerance to pain medication and sedatives but is currently in a drug induced sleep and is estimated to be awake around noon. No further records exist."

Bucky tried to reason out why this pertained to him but couldn't find a reason and decided just to go down stairs and ask Steve.

He stumbled over to his dresser and pulled out a hoodie and jeans witch he yanked on over his boxers and undershirt. He moved like an elephant to the bathroom and splashed water on his face and examined his reflection. The dark circles under his eyes were fading and he didn't look quite so… feral. He looked near human, and he found that satisfying.

Bucky trudged into the kitchen still unable to shake the dreary feeling that hung over him like a heavy rain cloud.

"Hey buck. Coffee?" Steve asked as the rest of the team glanced in his direction and went back to they're business. Natasha was standing by the microwave waiting for her tea to heat up, which made Bucky a little nervous. _I mean those things have radiation. Why would she want to stand so close to it_? He thought as he walked past her. Clint was scrolling over a newspaper, taking a loud sip of coffee, in his usual chair next to Nat's. Bruce sat at the opposite end from Steve, next to Tony's empty chair. And Wanda sat in her brother's chair next to vision who sat politely while quietly observing the rest of the team with his hand clasped in Wanda's under the table. Bucky was very sure that she was the only reason he was here.

"Yeah…" Bucky responded after a short pause.

Natasha wordlessly handed him an already full cup with a light smile as she sat down.

"What did you need me for?" Bucky asked in a small voice, breaking the silence as he looked up from his coffee.

"The new girl in the hospital," Wanda began "we think you should talk to her once we can get her fairly stable, we-"

"Wait. Why the hell do I have to talk to her? I didn't even know who this she was until like fifteen minutes ago." Bucky interrupted, sounding a little ruder than he had intended. "Unless I do know her" he murmured under his breath.

"Because, you have similar….." she tapped her finger on the counter, looking for the word. "You're both recovering from similar things."

Bucky choked slightly on his coffee and swallowed hard "she's been brain washed?" he asked with one eyebrow raised.

"I don't think so… she's been...tested on… a lot." Wanda said as her voice grew quieter but the whole team heard and this defiantly got there attention.

Natasha looked at her shoes for a moment, trying to catch her breath and pushed her chair out abruptly and strode quickly out of the room.

"Nat?" Clint watched her as she left the room and followed her out hurriedly.

Steve shook his head once and put his hand up, trying to keep what remained of the team in the kitchen.

"Are you implying that no one should further assist Agent Romanoff?" vision asked with his head tilted slightly to the side and a look of worried confusion written on his face.

"Yes. just leave her be." Steve replied solemnly while he hung his head with his eyes closed for a moment.

Wanda turned her attention back to Bucky, "experiments, horrible, horrible experiments." She finished as her accent rolled her Rs slightly.

"We just need you to help her recover and maybe help her get a little more comfortable here." Bruce continued calmly, "from a psychological stand point it's her best option for you two to help each other. From what I've heard you've both been in very similar situations."

"Fine. I'll help." Bucky said with stubborn reluctance in his voice as he stood to get more coffee.

"Miss Maximoff?" a familiar voice echoed through the room. "Miss brawn is becoming fully conscious. Would you like for me to escort you on the fastest route to her hospital room?"

The scarlet witch's eyes widened and she stood up from her chair quickly as JARVIS spoke and bound out of the room and to the door. "No I've got it."

Wanda was in Odessa's room in less than a minute. She was in a half run the entire way there witching turned head throughout shield but she had bigger things to worry about.

She slung open the swinging door to find Odessa sitting almost upright in her bed, still being held back by restraints on her wrists. She turned to look at Wanda as she entered the room and looked completely unfazed by her presents.

"are these necessary?" a smooth but somewhat steely voice asked as she blew a lock of short brown hair out of her pale freckled face, gesturing to the soft leather belts on her arms.


	4. Chapter 4: straps

Clint walked briskly to Natasha where he knew he would find her. In the corner of her room wedged between her bed and the wall, her head in between her knees.

" _My girls have been tested and are mission ready. Each one perfect assassins for your target. Pick who you will."_

The memory continued to replay in a distorted haze as she pressed her palms into her temples.

 _The gruff hand pointed at her like you would a piece of meat at the market._

" _The red head."_

"Nat." Clint murmured cautiously, trying to pull her away from what he assumed was another flash back. "Nat, it's me Clint. Look at me." He continued, careful not to touch her or startle her in anyway. He had learned his lesson about doing that.

Natasha gave a pained groan before her eyes shot open.

It happened so fast Clint couldn't proses it quick enough to defend himself.

Natasha had grabbed him by the collar and pinned him to the carpet by his shoulders, pressing her knees on his thighs to keep him from squirming. Her pupils were the size of pinpoints as she spit out Russian phrases Clint didn't understand.

"Clint Barton. Steve Rogers. Tony stark. Bruce Banner. Nick fury. Thor." Clint continued to recite names, trying to jog her memory. He found it was the only thing he could do that would bring her back before anyone, or more importantly him, got hurt.

She felt like she had been kicked in the stomach as the fog left her vision and she recognized who she had pinned down. She felt the adrenaline rush leave her and she broke out in a cold sweat as she put together the pieces of the last five minutes.

" _I could have killed him."_ She thought as she decided to ignore the tear trailing down her jaw line.

He watched as her pupils got larger and her expression grew softer.

She looked at what she had done and her breathing grew ragged. "I'm- I'm so sorry. I didn't… I can't… I'm so sorry…"

"Hey. _It's okay._ "

"Until we know what you can do, yes they are necessary." Wanda replied as she took a few hesitant steps towards the bed.

Odessa released a put out sigh as a familiar purple haze developed at her hands. She clenched her fists and the leather straps burst around her wrists with a muffled _ripp._

"I don't care for straps." Odessa said plainly as she racked her fingers through her tangled hair, pulling at the ends witch brushed just above her shoulders.

"Apparently not." Wanda replied as she took a step closer, "do you remember why you're here?"

"I had a meltdown." She answered, studying her surroundings. "Where am I?"

"The hospital floor of the avenger's tower."

Odessa's jaw clenched and all her muscles tensed. "I want out of here."

Wanda's brow furrowed and she took a step back, "I'm- I'm sorry but we need to keep you here."

"I don't like needles, I don't like doctors and I don't like straps. I thought you knew that." Odessa's eyes began to dart around the room and her breathing got quick and shallow. **"I want out of here."**

 _How could I have been such an idiot?!_ Wanda thought as the vision of that scruffy, deranged looking man holding a needle filled her mind.

"Calm down we'll find a better place for you to stay." The Scarlet Witch spoke with a soft, almost mothering tone as she realized the gravity of the situation.

She reached for her communicator "get banner and Barnes in the communal living room as soon as possible. I'll be there with patient in three."

Odessa covered her eyes with her hands, grinding her nails into her scalp. She wanted no more than to bore the memories out of her skull as they came rushing in.

" _The subject does not seem to be responding well. Side effects: vomiting, chills, fainting, night terrors…."_

" _Lay back and stay still this will only hurt for a moment." His voice was wiry as he approached her with a freshly sharpened scalpel._

 _She pressed her back into the chair and felt her skin crawl against still damp air. She sank deeper and deeper as the blade grew closer. She bit hard on the blood stained gag tied across her mouth._

 _He took the knife in a fist and rammed it into her ribs with a sickening crunch "_ _ **I told you no squirming!"**_

" _wh-what are you going to do?"_

" _testing your tolerance to flesh eating bacteria._

 _test negative. Flesh pending removal."_

" _ **I told you stay still!"**_

The words echoed in her mind as the visions dissolved into a man she had never seen. He had dark messy, long hair and icy blue eyes to match. She could see his lips moving but the words came out in knots of sounds and murmurs.

"gunna be fine. Hey, look at me. Your gunna be fine, okay?" his voice became clearer and so did her vision.

Odessa could feel herself breathing , she could feel the tears on her cheeks and the cold sweat on her neck.

She surveyed the new room around her. She was sitting upright on a couch. There was a man in front of her. There was another, smaller looking man sitting beside her. He had glasses, dark curly hair and a button up shirt. He was looking back at her. There was that girl….. Wanda. She was at the other side of the room, pacing. The ends of her hair tangled in her fingers.

"uh, Wanda." The smaller one said, looking away from Odessa for a moment but then turning back to her. "are you okay, Odessa?" she liked the way he said her name.

She opened her mouth to say something but she wasn't quite sure what it was.

"who are you?" Odessa asked, her voice barely audible.

"doctor Bruce Banner. And your Odessa, is that right?" he responded in a smooth, practically tender voice, looking her in the eye. "that's James Barnes and over there is Wanda Maximoff." He pointed to them as he said their names.

Odessa pulled her arms closer to her and crossed them around her chest. She nervously rubbed her biceps with her thumbs as she tried to get her bearings.

Bruce took her hand away from her arm and held it as he looked at her, "Are you okay?"

"yes." She said in a significantly louder voice now.

Dr. Banner pulled away from her hand but he wasn't able to separate them. Odessa looked down at her hand in confusion and realized what she was doing.

"oh. Sorry." She said, as she released the suction she had been emitting from her palms, feeling her face grow hot. "I just… sorry."

"how- how did you do that?" he asked with a slightly astonished smile.

"I just…." She put her hand out under his and expelled a plus of energy, pushing his hand away from hers. Then she pulled it back in, his hand hitting hers with a slap.

He pulled his hand back to him and examined it. "amazing."


	5. Chapter 5: tubes

**sadly I don't own anything of Marvel's, Les Mis's or... anything else. except Odessa Brawn. She's all mine.**

Odessa looked at the other faces studying hers. "um.. how long have I been out?"

Bucky was the first to answer. "around fifteen minutes, thanks for not getting violent. You don't understand how much I mean that."

"So no one got hurt?" Odessa questioned, her voice slightly shaky.

"No, you just tensed up and curled into a ball, and… screamed a little." Bucky replied as he got up from the couch. "last time that happened to me I shot, what?, two people?

"Three." Wanda corrected

"Yeah, three, so kudos." Bucky finished with a hint of playfulness in his voice. He came back to the couch with a water bottle, witch Odessa grabbed thankfully.

Odessa paused for a moment with words stuck on her lips. She was having trouble describing the feeling in the pit of her stomach.

"I'm hungry." She stated plainly.

"Well that's understandable, you haven't eaten in two days." Bucky replied as he looked down at her.

"Six…. Six days…" she mumbled as she stared at her lap.

"Oh. Well we can go to the kitchen, It's only a floor above us. Do you think you can walk?" Bruce responded invitingly, giving a slight smile witch Odessa found rather comforting.

"Yeah..." she said as she did her best to stand from the couch, only for her knee to give out. She was caught at the waist by Doctor Banner.

"You okay?" he asked as he lifted her up and wrapped one arm across her back to steady her.

"I'm fine." She said, hoping her reply wouldn't mean he would let go of her.

Odessa sat patiently at the kitchen counter as Bucky rummaged through the fridge.

"You all seem okay, I have business elsewhere." Wanda said coolly as she left the kitchen, sounding much ruder than she initially meant to.

"Alrighty then, what do you want kid? We've got just about everything." Bucky eyed a Pabst blue ribbon on the top self and decided that two o'clock wasn't _too_ early for a beer.

"Whatever you have I suppose. I'm used to being fed through an IV."

This got both of the boy's attention but Bruce decided to keep his mouth shut while Bucky did the opposite.

"What?" he asked as he turned away from the fridge holding a pizza box and a beer bottle.

"He said digestion only got in the way of things, so I was only allowed an IV." She spoke simply, as though they should know this, like it was basic information.

"In the way of what? "Bruce now chimed in, looking now genuinely worried.

"Surgeries, transfusions, bone marrow extractions, injections, tests, organ removals, cryo." This **definitely** got their attention, she could tell by the way James's jaw went slack and Bruce's eyes widened.

"Cryo?!" Bucky set the pizza box on the counter as he spoke in utter surprise

"Organ removal?!" Bruce leaned forward as he questioned with a slight stutter, captioning is amazement.

Odessa simply nodded.

Bucky slid a few slices of day old pizza in the oven before asking, "So you mean to tell me that you were cryogenically frozen." He couldn't believe what he was asking. This, petite, doe eyed, absolute vision of a girl had been tested on, cryogenically frozen, extracted from, injected into and other unthinkable things and survived it, to tell them it had happened like she scraped her knee.

"Yeah… multiple times." She lifted the back of her hair to show five circular scars at the base of her hair line. She looked expectantly at Dr. banner, who in response got up from his stool and examined her scars.

"Good god." Bruce murmured as he looked at the savage incisions in her ivory flesh. he lightly touched her skin and Odessa released a shuttering gasp.

 _He grabbed the crude, yet horrifyingly sharp instrument and gave it a once over before instructing her to lift her hair._

 _she did her best to avoid the blade by any means, begging, crying, screaming, wailing, shrieking, but it did nothing but add to the grimace on his face as he reopened her scars. Each slit radiated a searing burn all the way to her finger tips, almost causing her to go painfully numb._

 _Next was the tubes. Each thick plastic rope had to be securely wedged under the skin and muscle or he would have to slice deeper._

 _Her skin ached and burned unbearably as the fresh wound was stretched around the tubes. She fisted her hands tighter and tighter until she could feel the blood trickle down her palm and in-between her knuckles._

 _The liquid that was pumped in-between her skull and her brain had a minty burn to it and made each of her muscles seize uncontrollably until she couldn't see anything but black._

"Oh. I'm sorry." The memory was replaced by Dr. Banner taking a careful step back, looking a little startled upon hearing her take a sharp inhale.

"I'm- I'm fine." She assured as she looked up at him while brushed back a short lock of hair, even though it was a lie.

Bucky slid a plate with some kind of triangle food on it witch she gladly devoured a slice of in about three bites.

Bruce was astonished. He would have never thought that this girl, maybe one hundred twenty pounds soaking wet, could down food so fast.

After her third slice Bruce turned to her and asked, "so… exactly how old are you?" she had a certain quality to her face that could allow her to be anywhere from thirteen to twenty three.

Odessa pondered that for a moment. How old _was_ she? After counting on her fingers she finally decided, "I've been fifteen for around five or six years so…. Around twenty, twenty-one."

Bucky chuckled to himself. "what do you mean by that?" they both found that everything about this girl was intriguing.

"Well, I was injected with a gene specimen from James Howelt when I was fifteen and, though mine isn't near as powerful as his, my healing factor won't let me age anything past fifteen. So, I've been fifteen for about five or six years."

' _Everything about this girl is astonishing.'_ Bruce though as he gazed upon each of her delicate features. Her full velvety lips, her light dusting of freckles across her nose and cheeks, her bright green eyes witch had a slash of blue streaking through them, beautifully lined with long thick lashes he couldn't seem to keep himself from looking at.

Bruce fumbled with his glasses as he asked, trying not to linger his gaze for too long "And-and who injected you with a gene specimen from the W _olverine_?"

"My dad."


	6. Chapter 6:all of it and everything

"Hello Pietro." Wanda said as she entered the now very familiar room. "I've decided I'm taking you to the new bakery down the street. I didn't know what peach pie was but I think you'd really like it," she paused and ate the last of her pie, "it's good…. So you know that new girl I told you about yesterday, Odessa. She…" she thought about what Bucky had told her last night, about what she had gone through, and decided he didn't need to hear it. "You should meet her. She hasn't shown much of _herself_ yet but, I think she just needs time to adjust to what's happening around her… Dr. Banner seems to find her very interesting he thinks about her a lot. He thinks that there is something very similar that happened to them but… I don't know… I don't like to stay in his mind very long… or hers…" she brushed a long thin lock of hair which had strayed into her eyes behind her ear and looked back at her sleeping brother, " Tony is going to come back from Malibu in less than a week so, prepare you for that. I think once we've got her mind stable enough we can begin physically training her and, helping her control her powers. And yes. We assume you will need to help us." Wanda giggled at herself, imagining her brother in the mutant specialty training room, running circles around everyone and everything.

Her communicator buzzed and she squeezed the button on the side to answer it.

Clint's voice blared from the speaker,"Hey! Wanda! Breakfast! Come on!"

"I'm coming, I'm coming." She replied into the device. "I'll see you later Pietro." She mad sure she kissed his forehead before she turned to leave.

Wanda pulled out a chair and surveyed the table around her.

There were more empty chairs than usual.

Natasha was with Steve in Sir Lanka on some kind of ammunition plant raid, but Clint was staying behind. Pietro was still asleep. Thor was in Asguard. But where was Odessa? And Bruce?

"Where are- " Bucky cut her off.

"Odessa didn't want to get up and Bruce is making sure she's ok, she uh… didn't sleep well last night." His voiced sounded pained and Wanda noticed.

"What happened? Show me." Wanda asked as she reached inside Bucky's mind.

"Alright, if you insist." Bucky replied hesitantly as the memory materialized.

It started with a shriek. It was absolutely blood curdling and it made Wanda's skull ring.

Then she could actually _see._ Bucky was frantically racing down the hall to Steve's bedroom, where they had put up Odessa until they could find something better. He was fumbling with the door with his metal hand and ended up just breaking off the entire nob in frustration, crushing it like it was putty under his incredibly powerful metal digits.

He barreled into Steve's room to see Odessa wailing and completely tangled in sheets. Her powers were surging through her entire body, pushing the sheets away from her until they floated at least a foot above her and sucking them back in until they almost choked her, over and over again while she bawled.

Bucky raced to the bed, fighting against the ever changing current of pure force surrounding her. He pounced on the bed next to her and shook her by the shoulders until her eyes burst open. Complete and utter terror struck though both of them. She looked at the face above her and all the sheets and other things fell down to their original place.

She sat up in silent horror, her eyes searching through the dim chaos until she all but collapsed into tears. Bucky stayed with her until she cried herself to sleep.

 _Knock knock knock_

"Yes?"

"It's… me." Bruce replied as he cracked the door open.

"Uh, yeah come in."

Bruce opened the door to see his doe eyed vision, curled into a ball against the head board of her bed.

Odessa wiped away a few stray tears, hoping he wouldn't see as he walked towards the bed, her eyes following him constantly, and sat next to her.

She didn't feel like talking, she was too tired to do much, emotionally and physically, so instead she leaned her head on his shoulder and wept, until she felt the strength to say something.

"I'm just so _fucking_ tired." She voiced through tears and grit teeth.

"We all are."

"I just want to go _home_ and I don't even have a damn _home_ to go to." She stated bitterly.

"None of us do." He cooed into her hair as he kissed her temple, witch Odessa decided she was okay with.

She paused for a while, still deciding if she wanted to talk about what happened yet. she decided to anyway.

"My dad used to experiment on animals…. But, after my mom died, he had no one to stop him. So he changed from monkeys and cadavers, to _me_. I was _ten years old_. Ten. I was just glad he thought I existed let alone wanted to do something with me… but he didn't want to do something with me, he wanted to do something _to_ me... I was never allowed out of the basement. He made me stay tied to the chair or chained to the wall… he never used any anesthesia or morphine. I was awake for everything. Every tube, every knife, every hot metal tool, every organ that he felt needed removing so he could sell, **everything.** I could feel _all_ of it and I could do nothing but just sit there and take it until eventually I went numb."

Dr. Banner was flabbergasted. This girl trusted him enough to confess all of this and, not only that, while she spoke and her eyes were completely dry.

He wanted nothing but to make her feel free from all of this. He just wanted to see her genuinely smile instead of the overwhelmed, frightened look that was so often painted across her face. It felt like a stab to the chest every time she voiced the horrors that had befallen her. That beautiful girl should _never_ have to live through that, any of it.

"Once I developed my powers, I was able to burst all the straps. I hid, and waited until he came home." he bit her lip, not really wanting to say it but she felt like it needed to be said, she needed to finish the story. "And I slit his throat with a scalpel." The memory replayed in her mind and it felt like her head had been run over by a truck but she was too tired to fight it. So she just let it play.


	7. Chapter 7: Beauty and the Beast

Odessa stayed in her room, or rather Steve's room, for the length of the day. She wasn't in the mood for any kind of socializing, except maybe with Bruce. She found herself in a profound calmness when she was with him. Like a large weight was being lifted off her shoulders every time he entered the room and (little did she know) he felt the same way.

She had stayed in the same spot Bruce had left her in earlier that morning for almost half an hour until she found it silly that she wasn't up exploring. She had found the 'universal remote' (as tony called it) for Steve's room. She had already discovered Spotify (after quite a bit of trial and error) and was now listening to _The White Stripes_ , which she decided she really enjoyed, along with _Lorde_ and _My Chemical Romance_. She had also discovered Steve's copy of Les Miserables, and Lord of the Rings and was flipping through Les Mis now.

She sat cross legged on top of the now not so tidy; bed her fingers lingering on each page of the thick book as she mouthed the already memorized words to _fell in Love with a Girl._ The book had a strange familiarity to it that she couldn't quite pin point.

" _There's no way I've already read it."_ She thought as she closed the book and pondered the cover.

"Less Mizrabells…." She said aloud, completely failing at the proper pronunciation of the title.

"I believe its pronounced Les Miserables." JARVIS replied, his accent contorting the words perfectly.

Odessa squealed and jolted back at the disembodied voice speaking to her.

"My apologies Miss Brawn; I did not mean to startle you."

"wh… what are you?" she asked as she sat up on her knees, her eyes franticly scanning the ceiling where she had heard the voice.

"I am JARVIS. Mr. Stark's digital personal assistant and I will aid you in all of your endeavors if you wish me to do so." He responded quaintly.

"um… okay…" Odessa thought of the possibilities this JARVIS could offer. "what do you know about Les Miserables?" her voice remained cautious and suspicious as she spoke.

"Les Miserables, a book written by Victor Hugo in 1862 discussing French Revolution and human suffering, later converted into a Broadway musical and most recently a movie, staring Hugh Jackman, Anne Hathaway and Russell Crowe."

"can I see the movie please?" she requested as she slowly felt more comfortable talking to JARVIS.

Her music switched off and Steve's TV mounted in the wall in front of her flicked on causing her to scooch closer to the edge of the bed.

The music started and she immediately remembered why it was so familiar.

 _Gruff hands pressed the last of the electrodes to her scalp carelessly and wordlessly._

 _He pressed a series of buttons on the thick television until the screen glowed, showing the words 'France 1815'_.

 _He quickly moved to the computers at his desk across the room and observed the screens._

 _she whimpered through her gag as she sat helplessly in the mildewy chair. he glared at her mercilessly and placed the awkward metal headpiece on her forehead._

 _She had to strain to keep her eyes from crossing as tears drained from them and the vibrating volts streaked through her brain. She couldn't even hear herself screaming through the thick buzz filled her skull and numbed her whole body._

 _Gruff hands pressed the last of the electrodes to her scalp carelessly and wordlessly._

 _He pressed a series of buttons on the thick television until the screen glowed, showing the words 'France 1815'._

 _He quickly moved to the computers at his desk across the room and observed the screens._

" _ **god damn it!"**_ _he roared as he slammed his fist on the keyboard. Odessa cringed._

"Stop the movie."

Odessa eyed the book in front of her like it was a feral animal that could reach out and bite her at any moment.

She put her hand out abruptly and shot a powerful blast against it, knocking it to the other side of the room but continued to stare it down.

Her ears pricked slightly at the sound of footsteps.

Another side effect of human testing is acute senses. She could hear footsteps from a mile away if she focused and the same precision applied to the rest of her senses. She would be impressed if it didn't sicken her.

There was a knock on the door and she almost jumped.

"Hello?"

"It's Bruce… may I come in?"

Odessa aimed her hand at the door and started a slow pull until it opened to show the timid scientist wringing his hands nervously as he stood outside the door.

Odessa leapt from the bed and flung herself at doctor banner, almost knocking him down in the process.

"I knew there was something missing I knew it! I just didn't know what it was!" she wailed, almost in tears as she clung to his chest.

"Odessa slow down. What happened?" he asked as he wrapped his arms around her.

"Brain washed… I was brain washed." She replied, her breath like a stuttering pant.

"I'm… I'm so sorry…" Bruce stood holding her for a moment, enjoying how well she fit against his chest.

"Have you been in here all day?" he asked with a twinge of worry.

She bit her lip, wondering if she shouldn't have stayed inside all day "…yeah" the innocent somberness in her voice made his heart ache.

"You haven't eaten?" he looked into her eyes which were so enchantingly looking back, deeply into his. The teal stripe through her eyes twinkled in a way that made him want nothing more than her.

"No…" her voice was much calmer now; Bruce had that effect on her.

"Come on." He said with a slight beam, "were getting you out of here."

Bruce led his wide eyed vision down the hallway from Steve's room and headed to the elevator to see Bucky already waiting at the metal doors.

"Hey, where ya goin'?" he asked nonchalantly as he glanced at the pair.

"Food and maybe a movie." Bruce replied simply but smiling, something Bucky had never seen before.

"Clint ordered Chinese half an hour ago care to join us?" Bucky invited with a charming expression.

Bruce turned to Odessa, "Chinese?"

Odessa smiled slightly at the offer, "I don't think I've ever had it."

"Sure if that's okay with Clint."

"He'll get over it."

Bruce sat down on the couch and motioned Odessa to sit next to him. She sat cross legged with a box of low main in her lap.

"where are the… a… uh…" she searched for the word but Clint new what she meant.

"chop sticks?" he asked from the chair next to her. "right there." He answered as he pointed to a pile of chopsticks at the center of the glass coffee table in the middle of the room.

Odessa extended her pointer finger and her thumb and released a steady pull on one of the packages until it reached her fingers.

If Hawkeye's jaw could have fallen off of his face it would.

"how!?" Clint asked like a little kid who had just seen a magic trick as he watched Odessa fumble with her chopsticks.

"She's a mutant." Wanda replied as she took a bite of chicken curry, "class six."

Clint's face that was full of amazement now added confusion. "But the mutant scale only goes to five."

"And?" she responded as Clint looked from Wanda to Odessa and back again

"Genetic testing." Odessa explained, still fumbling with her chopsticks which Bruce took notice of and guided her hands so that she held them correctly. Just her touch made Bruce blush slightly.

"What else can you do?!"Clint continued to question ecstatically.

"Perhaps Miss Brawn shouldn't display her abilities at this moment in time." Vision intervened.

"Yeah maybe later. I'm still working out some of the kinks…" Odessa agreed.

"Damn."

"But how do you already have such good control over your powers already?" Wanda asked, she had wondered about how she could control them so well without any training that she knew of at least. Most people would have power flairs at random times, just by accident, but the only ones Odessa had had she wasn't completely conscious.

"Well after I escaped I was on my own for a few weeks so, I had plenty of time to get familiar with what I could do." She replied as she picked at her noodles, still trying to get used to using two wooden sticks instead of a fork.

"How did you escape?" just as the words left Clint's mouth Wanda glared at him, he knew better then to just ask something that might trigger another attack, but it was too late and Odessa didn't seem bothered by it at all.

"I slit his throat." She replied with a cold confidence that completely contradicted her innocent face to a point where it gave Clint chills. Wanda's eyes widened at this. She thought herself pretty good at understanding people (when she wasn't reading their minds of course) and this defiantly caught her off guard. Bruce didn't judge her for it however as little as he enjoyed thinking about the topic, that man deserved it. Enough said.

"Tasha would like you."

Something shiny caught the light and it got Odessa attention. This was the first time she hadn't seen James in a long sleeve shirt or a hoodie and his silvery metallic arm peaked her interest.

"What happened to your arm?" Odessa asked now in a much sweeter tone.

"Prosthetic." He said plainly.

' _That's all I really needed to know.'_ She thought to herself. She wasn't really one to question things. Especially metal arms.

What movie are we gunna see?" Bucky asked after he recovered from hearing what Odessa said.

"Beauty and the Beast." Wanda answered her accent rolling the words exquisitely.

"Yeah, Nat's not here to veto it so, were gunna watch it while we can." Clint said with a mouth full of eggroll.

Wanda and Vision didn't pay much attention to the movie. They were both talking to each other mentally occasionally making the other laugh.

Bucky just sat on the floor right in front of the screen and didn't take his eyes off it.

Clint spent most of the time in the hall, talking into his ear piece, making sure Natasha was safe. He hated not being with her. But she insisted on leaving and there wasn't anything he could do.

Odessa watched the movie attentively, half smiling at every musical number. She spent the whole movie resting against Bruce's arm, which they both found very comfortable and made Bruce's cheeks turn pink once she rested her head on his shoulder. Bruce had a hard time focusing on the movie. He didn't want to take his eyes off of her. She smiled so rarely, and he loved the way her perfect lips curved as she watched.

By the time the movie finished Odessa was asleep and no one wanted to wake her up from such a sound sleep. So Clint carried her to Steve's room like a baby and Bruce followed him just to make sure she got there okay.

Clint laid her down and made his way out of her room, walking next to Dr. Banner.

"Ya know, you're awfully sweet on that girl." Clint said as he walked, with a hint of mischievousness in his voice.

"I- uh, she- we-…. No." Bruce stuttered in reply.

"Aw come on. You know I'm right. But she actually doesn't seem to mind you at all. I mean, this girl has been here, what?, four days? And she's comfortable enough to snuggle up on you for like two hours straight. That says something." Clint said confidently as he closed the door to Steve's apartment.

"You think?" Bruce asked with a quiet hopefulness.

"Hell yeah. And not to mention she's gorgeous. I mean, damn. **And** she cut that guys throat. Awesome."


	8. Chapter 8: free fall

**I've just been speeding through these lately! I hope you like it! please R &R (seriously I don't have one review that wasn't from me and isn't that just a little sad...) ENJOY!**

Odessa slept surprisingly soundly and dreamlessly that night. That is, until She woke up at 2:00 a.m. and wasn't able to go back to sleep, No matter how she tossed and turned.

She sat up in her bed and tugged frustratedly at her hair. She rolled out from under the covers and stood on her bare feet, adjusting her white tank top and sweat pants which had slipped out of place while she was sleeping.

She crept out of Steve's room timidly, making sure to step carefully as she opened to door to the hallway, walking on her tiptoes until she reached the elevator.

She stood for a moment, just staring blankly at it, trying to decide witch of the buttons to press on the control panel that glowed green in the darkness. Pressing down, Odessa cringed at the sharp _ding_ that sliced through the silence. The chrome doors opened with a blinding light that made her need to squint just to keep her retinas from burning as she stepped in.

Odessa studied the many labeled buttons on the walls.

" _Where **am** I going?... __Five. I'm going to five."_

Doors opened and lights flickered on to a white painted room that was surprisingly naked, except for what looked like sports equipment. There was a rack on wheels that was stocked with balls of different sizes and colors. There was an assortment of dumbbells and weights hooked on the wall along with yoga matts.

"Jarvis?" she whispered to the open air, "Where am I?"

"The mutant specialty training room, Miss Brawn."

" _How ironic."_

She ambled cautiously to the center of the room, spinning on the balls of her feet to see it in its entirety. She pursed her lips in thought and flexed her fingers. Sauntering over to the ball rack, she snatched the closet one to her. She balanced it at the center of her hand, letting it settle in the swaying curvature of her palm and jutted a powerful blast through her skin, filling the air around her with purple shimmering flecks, launching it towards the ceiling so fast the ball lost all shape and became only a red streak, like paint left behind on a canvas from a fast moving paint brush. She laughed, proud of how far it zoomed and waited for it to come back to her sight. Once she was able to see the red rubber ball barreling back she readied herself for another blast. She waited patiently until the ball was only a few feet from the ground beside her and she vacuumed it back into her hand, a split second before it hit the ground.

She hooted into the open air, honestly amazed at what she had just done.

"Jarvis! play my favorites playlist." she demanded the empty space around her.

The room filled with the ringing intro of _Bravado_ by _Lorde_ and her grin widened.

She glanced at her bare feet for a moment, pondering if she really capable of this new idea. and without warning she jumped in the air, flying almost 10 feet high as a trail of purple released from the pads of her feet. She squealed at the feeling of her stomach dropping as she fell, landing nimbly on her feet with an almost cat-like agility.

She swept her windblown hair from her eyes and wiggled her jaw.

' _What if I just kept pushing?'_

She bounced for a moment on her toes, trying to wrap her mind around the fact that she _was_ going to try doing this, before she hurled herself into the air. She forced the sparkling energy from her feet and slowly turned her head down to see the floor, at least seven feet below her. her breath hitched at the sight of the world so far below her but her adrenaline began to pump through her already throbbing heart and whisked all those worries away.

"…cool."

' _Ok… now to get_ _ **down**_ _….'_

She lowly released less and less energy from her toes until she was only a few feet from the ground. A yelp escaped from her lips as she plummeted from the floor, slapping the ground with a _crack._

"Ow." She said dully, fluttering her eyes, trying to ignore the sharp piercing pain in her ribs, waiting for her healing factor to take care of it as she laid belly down on the ground, her face pressed to the cruel tile floor.

She groaned as she stood up tried to keep the room still. She eyed the rubber balls across the room. She reached her hand out and focused on the medium sized orange ball at the middle of the rack and strained her fingers towards it, trying to increase the pull on her target. It began to tremble in its seat until it rocketed into her hand, knocking her back with a _thud._

She hoisted herself back up and brushed herself off when an idea struck her mind.

She glanced at the ball in her hand, then the wall, and back again.

 _'Don't do it. bad idea.'_

 _'Shut the hell up this could be useful.'_

 _'If your going to use it to break your face sure it could be useful.'_

 _'Oh, be quiet.'_

She dropped the ball and wandered over to the wall and ran her gaze upon its height. Warily, she touched her palm to its chilled surface. Convinced that this _was_ a good idea, she pressed both palms to it and rested her feet at the base of the wall and released a steady suction from all fours. She released the pull from her left foot and slid it slowly up the wall. She did the same with her other hands and feet until she was high up, almost half way to the ceiling.

"Jarvis?" she called shakily, "how far up am I?"

"Fifteen feet, ma'am."

"Okay…." She said under her breath as she bit her lip.

She planted herself to the wall, took a deep breath, and ejected herself from the wall and flew in a free fall, letting the crisp air lick her skin as she drifted carelessly down, until, just milliseconds from the ground, she exploded the space around her in an eruption of force, launching her back into the emptiness, wind sweeping over her face as she gleefully whooped into air.

She cascaded back, using a purple bubble around her as a break pad and landed gracefully on the ground.

(A few hours later)

Bruce straightened his shirt before a knocked on the door to Steve's (or currently Odessa's) room.

"Hello?" he waited a moment for a response, "Jarvis is she awake?"

"Yes, and she is currently in the fifth floor training room, Sir."

Bruce creased his eyebrows. _"What could she be doing there at seven in the morning?"_

Bruce stepped out of the elevator to the fifth floor to see is lovely little vision… clinging to the wall… almost _twenty feet_ in the air….

" **Odessa!** "

"Yes?!" chimed a cheery voice he hadn't heard before.

"Are you okay?!"

Odessa broke her grip on the wall and drifted rapidly to the ground in a complete free fall. The only thing that kept the other guy caged inside Bruce was the look of gleeful confidence spread across Odessa's face as she drifted downward. Just before she crashed onto the floor, she pushed off the ground, gracefully flipping in the air and landing on her feet.

Odessa smiled cheekily at Bruce as he stared at her in awe.

"What did you say?" Odessa said, the words tumbling out of her mouth as she moved towards Bruce, levitating ever so slightly with step. "Are you okay? You look kinda pale."

"I'm- I'm fine. Are _you_ okay?"

"yeah. I was just... practicing." Odessa cheeks gathered a dusting of pink.

"oh. how long have you been practicing?"

" I've been here since like... two a.m."

Bruce chuckled to himself "would you mind if I took stairs for breakfast?" he asked a little nervously trying to keep his heart rate down for obvious reasons. normally he wouldn't put himself in that kind of a situation, but he didn't see much risk in it the way she blushed when he looked her in the eye.

Odessa sat at the counter, fiddeling with the ends of her finger nails.

"so your not at all tired?" Bruce asked as he slid two English muffins in the toaster since she didn't know what anything that he had suggested was.

"... not really... but I did find the coffee."

Bruce just smiled in response and pressed start on the microwave which was now rotating his tea.

"Who was Clint taking to in the hall last night?"

"Natasha... his uh- girlfriend..."

"oh. what's that?... sorry. I don't really get out much." she said in almost a whisper, a little embarrassed at her lack of knowledge.

"no that's very understandable. its um... a female whom he has a romantic attachment to... which is- uh... reciprocated."

Odessa took a moment to process that. "Like in that movie last night?" she asked, hopeful that she was getting the right impression of 'girlfriends'.

"yes, exactly."

"... do you have one?" she asked, her thick lashes fluttering ontop of her doe eyes, full of quiet curiosity.

"oh... well- uh- No." he replied, his cheeks rosy because of the blunt question.

Odessa turned her profile to the door beside her and strained her ears. She held up five fingers and began to count down which striked up quite a bit of curiosity in Bruce.

"Wha-?"

"Shh." she interrupted softly.

 _2_

 _1_

Clint walked in the door just as she brought down the last finger.

Bruce looked at Clint and then back at Odessa in amazement "how did you…?"

"I could hear him walking."

"Cool..." Clint responded drearily as he sat down a chair away from Odessa.

she stepped down from her stool and walked to the sink to put away her empty plate, not ever touching the ground but rather stepping on a cushion purple.

"Hey, you did the….. Thingy with the- the thingy…" the exhausted archer stated as he moved his hand towards her general direction.

Odessa shook her head quietly.

The Scarlet Witch was the next to enter the kitchen.

"Hello." She greeted, clearly well rested.

Odessa smiled a hello. "I'm going to go shower." she stated in a small voice as she made her way to the door.

"What's with her?" Clint asked as he moved towards the coffee maker.

Bruce snickered to himself "She told me she woke up at two in the morning and _somehow_ found her way to the training room and was there up until about… twenty minutes ago. When I had found her on the fifth floor she had scaled the wall and was falling all the way down from at least twenty feet up, blasted the ground and landed on her feet." He replied, clearly amused by his story.

"Well I suppose it is as good a time as any for her to start physically training." Wanda said in a clear voice, her accent emphasizing every T and O, "but we can't let her go about it herself, she could get hurt."

Clint grabbed the coffee pot and shook it, surprised at its weight, "Aww man…" he voiced as he realized that the pot was empty and put it back with a deep sigh and a frown.

Odessa stood under the steam pouring from the slivery shower head above her.

The long thing close to a shower she had ever had (aside from a sponge bath when she was admitted to the third floor) was a harsh rinse down after a messier surgery, when she was coated in blood among other fluids. But now, the water was warm and pleasant and, there was shampoo, which she hadn't remembered using since she was much younger.

Everything in the new world she had escaped to felt like dega vu. She had used almost everything once before but it was more than ten years then. She knew what it was and how to use it but it was always a very far away memory. It felt like she was reaching for an already flying kite and her opportunity to grab it had passed a long time ago and now she was just grabbing at air.

In the basement there wasn't much need for shampoo. After about seven years there month there, her hair had fallen out due to toxic radiation from one of her father's experiments. But since then her hair had grown to a short mousy brown crop that just barely dusted her shoulders.

Odessa drifted out of the shower and snatched a towel from the rack and wrapped it under her arms. She sauntered to the sick to grab a hair brush. As she slid the comb through her tangled hair she caught her reflection in the mirror.

She hadn't actually _looked_ at herself in, what? Ten years? What she saw didn't really amaze her. She _had_ changed since the last time she had looked in a mirror but not by much. Her lips had become much fuller and her eyes wider. Her freckles has dissipated everywhere except her nose and cheeks. She had defiantly matured but she could still see the little girl that had disappeared all those years ago. In her eyes she was mediocre at best, nothing truly special. But she didn't notice the way that Bruce stared at her. Or Clint or Bucky or Cap. They all though her stunning, but she was too busy thinking other wise to notice.


	9. Chapter 9:getting back up

**Sorry about the wait for this chapter. I've been being kept busy all this and last week. I hope you enjoy! Please R &R I would really appreciate it!**

Odessa stepped out of the bathroom and onto the carpeted bedroom. Something was off. She could sense it by the faint sent of perfume and the strange energy in the air. Her eyes scanned every miniscule detail of the room.

It wasn't danger that she sensed…. She wasn't quite sure what it was but she knew it made her very anxious.

A piece of white on the solid grey bedsheets caught her eye.

 _'Sorry about the wait, take a look in the closet. – Wanda'_

She folded the note in half and set it down on the table beside her before wandering to the closet. Her mind almost completely blank at what she would find.

All of Steve's cloths had been pushed to the side and the other half of the rack had been filled with an array of brand new jeans and shirts and skirts and dresses and jackets and shoes. Her eyes widened at the sight of all the new garments for her to enjoy. Her lips curving upward as she flipped through the neatly hung cloths. Odessa had been rotating the same three white tank-tops and three sweat pants she had gotten from the hospital and this would defiantly be a nice change.

She grabbed a pair of dark fitted jeans and a grey V-neck along with an oversized navy sweatshirt. She had never actually had to pick out cloths in the past decade, but she seemed to gravitate towards darker colors… they just looked the most appealing. She had always stuck to the shadows, tending to avoid anyone's view while she had made her way to New York after her escape. She didn't every really want excessive attention from anyone now either (except from a certain someone who wanted attention from only her) and this color scheme gave her a less noticeable presents, even though she tended to turn heads anytime she entered a room.

She stepped hesitantly into the kitchen to find it empty except for a familiar British voice.

"Mr. Barton and Miss Maximoff have requested that I inform you to meet them on the fifth floor immediately." JARVIS said as she entered the room.

"….okay then…"

Hawkeye stood in the sterol looking training room an underarmor shirt (that made it impossible to not notice his chiseled torso) and basketball shorts, polishing an arrow before placing it back into his quiver. And Wanda was to his left, bouncing a ball up and down in a black dress and red converse shoes with her glossy brown hair pulled back into a pony tail.

"Hey kid!" Clint called as he grabbed his bow and stood up from a crouch, "come 'ere."

Odessa walked towards him wordlessly and stood in front of Clint, looking up at him, eyes wide with suspicion and curiosity, "yes…?"

"Just _how_ confident are you with you powers so far?"

"Um… I'm pretty good."

"Like… you would be ok with be firing arrows at your face and you could protect yourself kind of good?"

"….. Well that's pretty specific, but yes…."

Clint gave an enthusiastic fist pump before he instructed her to stand at the other end of the room.  
"Your using the _foam_ tipped arrows right?" Wanda asked as she observed the training session at the wall across next to both of them, sounding like a mother asking her son if he cleaned his room.

"Yyyyyeeesssss." He replied childishly. The archer grabbed an arrow and strung it in his bow in one fluid movement. "Tell me when you're ready 'cause if I actually _hit you_ Bruce will have my ass."

Odessa furrowed her eyebrows at that last comment. "What do you mean 'Bruce will have your ass'?" she had heard a few odd, what she assumed were pop culture references, but this one took the cake…. Or ass…. She wasn't sure. Spending thirteen years away from people defiantly took its toll when it came to metaphors and idioms and whatnot.

"N-nothing." He answered, realizing his mistake in saying that.

"Well… don't worry about your ass. Healing factor." She explained, gesturing to herself.

"Cool! Ready?"

Taking a deep breath replied, "yes." While she put her feet shoulder length apart and readied her hands, releasing a steady purple, black glow.

The skilled archer drew back his arm, his gloved hand firmly gripping the end of the arrow, and released it with a _thwip._ It moved in slow motion as it zipped at her forehead. Odessa's advanced sight locking down on the dull tip of the arrow; she raised her hands in front of her face, narrowing her eyes to get the best possible shot at the thin projectile. Two thin streaks of energy emitted from her palms and finger tips, diverged into one thick ribbon of purple metallic flecks that wrapped itself around the arrow and shot it backwards with more speed than when it was fired, pushing it directly back where it came from. Hawkeye jumped back a spit second after he released his grip on the arrow, avoiding the blunt end hurling towards him, causing the arrow to strike the wall behind him, shattering the shaft completely.

"Holy shit." Clint uttered under his breath as he turned to look at the shards of titanium arrow slung behind him. _'my arrows don't **break** ….'_

The Scarlet Witch, the epitome of mutant power, was at a loss for words (Odessa seemed to have that effect on people but she wasn't sure why). "Just… when… how- how long have you had you powers?... it took me almost eight months to get that skilled!" Wanda's surprise clearly expressed in her voice.

"About two months." She replied simply, "I got plenty of practice while I hitch hiked here."

"From where?" Wanda asked, seeing another opportunity to learn more about Odessa's life before her time at the tower. She figured she wouldn't have to put her in therapy as long as she talked about her past openly with her and her fellow team mates.

"Miami, Oklahoma…. MiamA not MiamI, apparently there is a difference."

"You **hitch hiked** here from the **Midwest**?" Clint couldn't think of anything more ridiculous than a young (completely gorgeous) girl, who wasn't even very sure how to human yet, climbing in strangers cars all the way across the country, from Butt-fuck, Oklahoma to New York city.

"Yes… I took the train."

"That's at least…" Clint paused for a moment, not actually sure how far that was, "Jarvis how far is that?"

"Around 1,500 miles, sir." Jarvis chimed in.

"1,500 miles!" he finished, shouting, "do you know how dangerous that is!?" his inner protector making an appearance.

"No..." Odessa felt her chest tighten at Clint's raised voice. The room began to wobble and spin as recollections of a previous life drowned her mind, "please… don't-" her already fragile voice gave out as multiple Wanda's caught her slight frame before it completely collapsed.

" **CLINT! What the hell where you thinking?!** " Wanda scooped up Odessa and cradled her in her arms, rocking her back and forth on the cool tile floor, trying to keep her calm while she twitched and moaned, her face contorted in such pain it made Wanda want to cry.

She squeezed her eyes shut and pursed her lips. Not wanting to do what she knew she had to do.

Wanda hovered her hands over Odessa temples, releasing a red dry mist as she did, and entered the gruesome maze of her mind.

She climbed through countless horrific memories in search for Odessa, screams filling the gaps in between remembrances. She grabbed Odessa's consciousness and pulled her out of the frozen watery depths of her mind and yanked her back to the surface.

Odessa's eyes burst open and she gasped for air as she was jerked back into reality. She laid in the Scarlet Witches lap for a moment, trying to regain her composer as she heaved for air.

Clint looked horrified. His mouth agape and his eyebrows knitted together, leaving pure dread etched on his face as he stuttered for words. He in no way intended to upset her, he had barely even raised his voice, and he rarely did.

"I- I- I didn't-,"

"I'm fine." Interrupted Odessa, her words filled with stuttering breaths, "let's- let's just keep practicing."

"you're not fine…. You need to rest." Wanda countered, looking in astonishment at how eager she was to continue, at how well she was handling an attack, something none of the avengers were able to do so well.

" **That** **doesn't. matter**. I need to learn how to function with flashbacks, not baby myself every time I get one. I doubt they'll stop any time soon... I need to be able to get back on my feet after I fall down. I _want_ to get back on my feet. Is that too much to ask?" she asked, Odessa's voice never truly settling while she spoke.

Clint and Wanda gave the same pained look while they considered her words.

"….They _do_ go away eventually…. Bucky can tell you about it if you'd like." Clint murmured, afraid to say anything out of fear that he may trigger her again. He wouldn't forgive himself for the first time he put her through that and Wanda could sense it.

Odessa put that thought in the back of her mind. She did, in fact, like Bucky's company. Not in a romantic way, she just liked being around him. Perhaps this was why.

"If you would like to continue practicing… I suppose we can if you feel up for it." Wanda stated calmly.

"yes please." Odessa's voice was much more steady and confident, almost like vision. She said the two words in a way that you wouldn't want to say no to her.

Odessa pulled herself up off the ground, with help from Wanda, and brushed herself off. Planting her feet firmly on the ground and resuming her stance of readiness. She nodded at Clint and he loaded another arrow, this time aiming at her chest. He fired a little hesitantly at Odessa but his aim was steady and it sent the foam tipped arrow speeding at her collar bone. The mutant put all of her focus on the arrow. Sight, sound, and mind completely zoomed in on the skinny missile hurling towards her. she studied where the arrow was headed and fixated her nerves on the flesh of her chest, forcing an energy filled haze from her neck to her breast. The arrow quivered for less than a fraction of a second before Odessa's supple ivory skin and was flung backwards. Slinging it in the air and letting it hit the ground and slide to the amazed archers feet. All of this happening in less than a millisecond.

"again."

After an exhausting day of training and a full display of Odessa's abilities (along with her healing factor thanks to a stray, not foam tipped arrow, that nicked her arm and she simply brushed off and continued with her practicing as if it were a fly that landed on her and not a razor sharp arrow that could easily kill any living being.) Odessa collapsed on her bed and slept heavily but not dreamlessly. Her mind was full of the sounds of the basement. Drills, saws, equipment humming, tears and blood dripping onto the concreate, mice squealing, moans and cry's, the screams of agony she knew all too well. It was overwhelming. Odessa twitched and whimpered through the night, her powers glitched every so often but nothing harmful came of it. Bucky even came in the night to check on her but, seeing that she was fairly contained he decided to let her sleep. However, that wasn't the only disturbance that night.

It felt like a punch to the throat, like a baby kicking for the first time, an electric shock, a kick in the back, a knock on a door, breathing for the first time after being held under water. It jolted Wanda out of her bed and sent her running for the elevator.

Pietro was awake.

Wanda scrambled in the darkness, hair flying behind her in a tangled mess, skidding around on the hard wood floors on her socks. Doing anything that would get her to the elevator fastest. She jabbed her thumb on the down button as fast she could until the doors opened.

Shuffling frantically inside, she ignored the bright contrast of lighting that singed her senses. The doors opened a moment later and she left just as desperately as she entered.

Seeing her sprint down the hallway, you would have thought she had gone mad. Her baggy red shorts and oversized I NY shirt, stumbling behind her as she ran down the hallway, her footsteps filling the stale air that had only known the sounds of heart rate monitors.

Wanda grabbed the door frame, trying to halt her previously growing momentum and jut herself into the cramped hospital room.

Pietro's eyes gave a weak, glazed over search in Wanda's direction, not actually settling on her but rather giving an unfocused glare at the air around her.

"Pietro!" she whispered urgently as she leaped across the space between them and kneeled at his side.

"Wands…" he replied with a lazy smile.

"Your back." Wanda said through grinning lips as she held his hand to her face, "your back….."


	10. Chapter 10: Skinny Love

**I own absolutely nothing from the White Stripes or Birdy or James Cameron. I intend no copy write infringement. I only own my OC. Please R &R ! ENJOY!**

"Well, I'm happy to say that your brother's coma was purely a mental state. He could be up and moving at full capacity by next week by normal standards but, given Pietro's abilities I wouldn't be surprised if he was functional sooner than even that."

"Thank you, Dr. Banner."

"Anytime. Page me if you need me."

Bruce walked back to his lab, ecstatic to run tests on his new specimens. While much further upstairs: the New York stationed Avengers that weren't going down stairs to see their old friend were trying to catch up on classic American culture that wasn't anything below a 1942 vintage. In other words, Clint and Vision went down stairs to say Hi to Pietro, and Odessa and Bucky were watching a movie.

"Do you know who to work _Neat_ flix?"

"Pfft, No."

"Figures…."

"Um, Clint mentioned a few movies… Star Wars?"

"Nope. Seen it. Scary."

"Ok, what about Talladega Nights?"

"Hell. no. Tony talks about it and I don't want to understand what he's saying."

"Titanic?"

"Umm…. sure." Bucky replied as he fumbled with the remote.

They both watched the picture with intense focus as they sat on opposite ends of the couch. Bucky with both his legs resting on the coffee table in front of him and Odessa with her legs tucked under her, and her head in her hands. Odessa would ask the occasional question, like "but if she's going to marry _him_ why is she smiling at _him?_ " or "what's wrong with her going to that party?" And he would answer "because she doesn't what to marry _him_ she wants to marry _him_ … I think." or "because she's rich and she's supposed to stay with the rich people because they think they're better than those guys, but rose likes the poor guys. Which the other bad rich people don't like." Just harmless banter, that is until the scene where Cal shoots at Rose and Jack, and Bucky started grumbling under his breath in Russian about how the gun should have done _this_ but really it did _this_.

"тех, ублюдок даже не знаю, как использовать пистолет... Господи... мать лохи? What does that mean?" She asked all too simply.

"It uh-"Bucky ran a hand over his face, "you heard that?"

' _I_ _ **have**_ _ears.'_ "Yes… You said that didn't you?"

' _The only other person I've met that can say the words without sounding like they have a mouthful of syrup is Natasha… but this girl only speaks English. Right?'_ "But you don't speak Russian?"

"No." _'These people are full of odd questions.'_

' _What?'_ "How did you… say it right?"

'… _I just said what you said.'_ "…. I heard you. What does it mean?"

' _What?'_ "Well… they didn't-, the gun shouldn't have done that."

"How do you know?"

"…. I know a lot of things I wish I didn't sweet heart."

There was a long pause after that. It may have just been a minute or two or it might have been an hour. Not that it really mattered.

Odessa took her head out of her hands and leaned forward a bit to see the ex-assassin's face, "do you get flash backs too?" she asked with a quiet concern.

Bucky pursed his lips "…yeah, sometimes."

"… Do they get any _better_?" Odessa's voice had a slight hopelessness ringing through it, which caught his attention.

' _this girl shouldn't be losing faith_ _ **now**_ _… Hell, what do you know buck? You lost hope your first day, ya hypocrite…'_

"…with time." Bucky said not quite convincingly.

Odessa shrugged and didn't bother to hide her disappointment in that statement.

And then. Jack died.

"WHAT?!"

"Oh my god."

" **WHAT THE HELL?"**

"But- but he comes back right?!"

"WHAT THE FUCK CLINT!?"

Odessa just stared at the screen her mouth open in disbelief and Bucky sat next to her, leaned forward with his arms out, cursing and plotting Clint's death.

"THAT IS NOT OKAY." Odessa's voice, full of total anguish and disbelief.

"I heard my name!" Clint asked smiling as he appeared in the kitchen.

Bucky whipped around and gave him a look that wiped the cheeky smile off his face "What the hell, man!?"

"What did _I_ do?"

"We watched that boat movie! Why the hell would you suggest that? That is wrong with you!?"

Clint couldn't help but laugh at the former killing machine's reaction to one of his generation's saddest movies. He almost doubled over laughing at Odessa face. She had an expression that clearly agreed with Bucky.

Bruce's head poked out of the doorway, "I heard a commotion. Is everything ok?"

"Did that really happen?!" Odessa asked, her eyebrows knitted together as she pointed to the screen.

"Oh. Oh! Um, more or less…."

Both Odessa's and Bucky's reaction changed. Both of their eyes widened and their eyebrows lifted up as if by strings. Odessa opened her mouth to say something but it only the beginnings of words came out, which added to Clint's laughter.

Odessa hoped off the couch and promptly set a path for the door, which was being blocked by the 'oh so hysterical' archer, trying to suppress even more laughter. Looking at the infuriatingly annoying look on his face, the mutant stuck out her palm and blasted him in the chest, knocking him on his ass and temporarily silencing him.

With that, Bucky decided that she was alright.

" _If you think that a kiss is all in the lips C'mon, you got it all wrong, man. And if you think that our dance was all in the hips, Oh well, then do the twist. If you think holding hands is all in the fingers Grab hold of the soul where the memory lingers and Make sure to never do it with the singer 'Cause he'll tell everyone in the world. What he was thinking about the girl Ya, what he's thinking about the girl,"_

Odessa was sprawled across the bed, her head and feet dangling off opposite edges or the mattress. Music played softly as she moved her lips to the words of _The Denial Twist._

She wanted desperately to put down the history book she was reading but couldn't find it in herself to do it. Entrancement and repulsion were begining to weave together as she continued to read. It was enough to make her shake.

' **Other gruesome experiments meant to further Nazi racial goals were a series of sterilization experiments, undertaken primarily at Auschwitz and Ravensbrueck. There, scientists tested a number of methods in their effort to develop-'**

" _hormones are getting in the way of your testing. Something has to be done about that."_

" _please no, please please PLEASE."_

 _Cold metal clacking against metal, cold metal pushing against aching flesh. Snip. Crunch. Squish. Squeal. Cry. Scream. Snip. Crunch._

" _preparing to open the muscle layer in the lower abdomen."_

" _ **PLEASE!..."**_

" _Sterilization successful. Preparing to close incision point."_

A purple haze was building around her, flickering like a strobe light. She didn't remember crawling to the corner of the room, putting her head in her hands, and grinding her nails into her scalp. But that's how Bruce found her. Her whole body was in a cold sweat while purple/black energies were making the room vibrate as they flickered from on to off; push to pull.

The state the room was in caught him completely off guard, as did his lovely little vision sitting in the corner beside the bed, moaning and struggeling to breathe as she gave into another flash back. His heart began to race as he saw how helpless she was, trapped within her own mind.

' _Shit shit shit shit shit! Ok deep breaths. Think think think. Stay calm._ ' Bruce was already on the brink of turning green and now was NOT the time to fall over the edge. He did his best to stay composed while his heart picked up its pace at the sight of seeing Odessas face contorted in panic. She was practically tearing her hair out; and the look on her face as she jerked her chin up to look at him, knocked the wind of him. Her soft features were twisted and washed out to white as tears streamed unnoticed down the apples of her cheeks.

"WANDA WE NEED YOU ASAP."

Little did Bruce know, she had felt her terror once it started and was already moments away.

The helplessness written on her face did nothing to help Bruce's finger-tips, which were fading into a pale green. No. he could do this. There is no way he was just going to leave her in such a state of distress. He could do this.

The throbbing haze as impossible to ignore as a strong wave knocked him on his knees and cracked a lens in his glasses. He crawled through the twinkling smog and stood on his knees in front of her.

"Odessa, you're ok. Everything is ok. Your safe, here with me." He cringed as is muscles strained against the growing green climbing up his hands.

The pulsing in the air softened as recognized the face that was holding her sholders, "Bruce?"

"Yes! Yes it's Bruce. Come on. I need you to look at me. Atta girl. Deep breaths, come on, just like me."

Bruce could feel himself relaxing, like a wave receding from the shore as she looked him in the eye, the terrified glaze on her face giving way to a much less potent grief. Her whole body trembled through choked breaths as she did her best to copy him.

The pulsing in the air ceased when Bruce took his right hand and held her cheek as he wiped away a one of her tears. She gave a weak smile and tilted her head as she touched his fingers with fragile hands.

Wanda slung the door open to find Odessa sitting on the floor, leaning against Bruce's chest, taking slow deliberate breaths, while he played with her hair, both looking completely spent.

"Oh thank god." Wanda breathed, "Is everything ok?"

"I think we got it under control, but would you mind going to my lab and starting up the brain scanner and getting me my spare pair of glasses?"

Odessa gave a small gasp when he said brain scanner.

"Are you sure taking her to your _lab_ is a very good idea?"

"I know what you're thinking but I can't move my equipment. Besides, I'll have her sedated and, if you wouldn't mind, I was hoping you could suppress her abilities while she was there."

Wanda sighed. "Ok. I'm on it… thank you for helping her for me."

"My pleasure. Thank you."

Just as Wanda closed the door, Bruce leaned down and kissed her temple, lingering slightly to breath in the subtle sent of her.

" _Come on skinny love just last the year, Pour a little salt we were never here, My my my, my my my, my-my-my my-my... Staring at the sink of blood and crushed veneer._ _Tell my love to wreck it all, Cut out all the ropes and let me fall,"_

Odessa smiled and made a silent decision as he pressed his lips to her feathery soft hair.

She turned around in his lap and looked him in the eyes, admiring the slight blush on his cheeks and spectrum of brown that filled his eyes, unaware of the airy smile that painted across her lips. Sitting up beside him, Odessa leaned forward and pressed her full, velvety lips to his; which he delightedly reciprocated as he buried his hand in her hair.

" _And in the morning I'll be with you, But it will be a different kind, 'Cause I'll be holding all the tickets, and you'll be owning all the fines. Come on skinny love, what happened here? Suckle on the hope in light brassieres, My my my, my my my, my-my-my my-my..."_

 **Please tell me what you thought of this chapter! I hope it gave you plenty of feels! Ill try to keep writing and post as often as I can! (Btw that song is Skinny Love by Birdy witch I highly suggest you listen to.** _ **Great**_ **song.)**

 ***the 'history book' passage about holocaust experiments is from . ?ModuleId=10005168 which I do not own.**


	11. Chapter 11: no need for morphine

**please R &R I need some advice on how to make this better!**

"It's a very simple procedure. All I'm going to do is attach some electrodes to your head, ask you some questions and record your brain patterns. Easy as pie."

Odessa took a deep sigh. This needed to be done. She knew that. But _still_. He made it sound so much easier than it really was, for _her_ at least. This time would be different right? Nothing to worry about…. That was a lie. There is everything to worry about. "Are you sure this is safe?" she asked with a pleading in her eyes as she glanced up at Bruce, who's heart was breaking just looking at her.

"Of course. I would never want to put you in any danger."

The ends of her eyebrows swooped up while a somber smile teased her lips "…no, I mean for you."

Bruce hung his head and took both of her hands in his. "It'll be fine. Trust me." He closed his eyes for less than a heartbeat as he spoke. She bit her lip, took a deep breath, and shook her head.

Odessa played with the hem of her dress as Bruce gently pressed the electrodes to her forehead. Her breathing was slow and deliberate as she tried to keep her teeth from chattering. Wanda could feel anxiety radiating off of her like heat from the sun from where she stood a just few feet beside her.

Bruce stood at the counter, surveying his computers, watching intently at the colorful brain scan glowed on his screen. He nodded at Wanda, who hovered her hands above the fellow mutants scalp, hopefully canceling out her gifts.

"Ok… Would you mind telling me what triggered your last attack please?"

Odessa took a deep breath and swallowed hard. "… I was listening to music and reading a history book and it uh, had an article about-"she closed her hands into soft ivory fists, "holocaust experiments, and, um, sterilization."

Bruce looked up from his computers with either interest or sympathy, Wanda couldn't tell. "Have you been sterilized?"

Odessa shook her head mutely and dug her nails into her palms, "…I was twelve." She whispered, "I doubt it was successful… at least not now."

"What do you mean?" Dr. Banner inquired softly.

"It's probably grown back… I mean my kidneys did, so did my leg…. But I suppose there's no way to tell short of getting pregnant." She chuckled.

"Your leg?"

"Yep." Odessa lifted her skirt a few inches to show a massive scar that wrapped all the way around her thigh. She lightly brushed it with her fingers and clamped her eyes shut, trying to ward off the memory she felt throbbing in the back of her mind. She fisted her palms and moaned softly through grit teeth, trying to focus on the matter at hand as she began to pant.

Bruce saw how his screens began to light up, not only in the areas that control emotions and memory but also in physical pain, and rushed over to the chair Odessa was seated in where Wanda was already trying to console her.

"Hey, are you ok? We don't have to continue if you don't want to." Bruce's eyes searched her every feature, trying to see if he could answer the question himself.

Odessa found that Bruce's eyes were incredibly calming, the way they looked at her so delicately through his thin glasses, they filled with flecks of that rare tan color you almost never find in eyes, it brought her back as she struggled to keep her powers from making and appearance. Wanda was already straining to contain them.

She gulped and nodded her head yes.

Bruce went to the counter at the other side of his lab and came back with a thin roll of gauze. He pulled up a chair next to her and took her hand. He opened her clenched palm gingerly and began to wrap the thin parts of broken bleeding skin where her nails had pierced.

" _Go on when you're ready."_ Wanda thought for Odessa to hear.

She swallowed hard and managed to stutter past broken breaths "m-mine was b-bronze."

"What do you mean?" Bruce asked as he looked up from tucking the bandage around her hand.

"It, uh… it was like James's but… _bronze_." she choked out, much calmer.

This shocked both caretakers, "You had a cybernetic prosthetic?" Bruce asked in amazement.

"Yeah…" she took a deep breath, "hurt like hell too. It grew back around the insertion point and on top of the metal until the neural receptors where so damaged he had no choice but to remove it… hurt more than putting it on." She spoke like a veteran talking about their time in a fox hole, not happily but not bitterly. Just enough of both to make sure no one _felt_ her pain but surely _understood_ it.

"W-why did you need the prosthetic in the first place?" Bruce asked as his fingers ghosted above the thick scar.

She gave a sad smile, "that's the thing… I didn't… he wanted to see if he could replicate the assets. So he just," she took hold of Bruce's hand and traced his finger across the deep line on her thigh, "took it off."

Bruce gave a shaky sigh and bit his lip, looking at the sadness in her eyes as they began to waver, despite her brave face.

"Wait… how did he know about the _asset_?" Bruce asked as he made a realization he hoped wasn't true.

"that's just what his origination called it… after he got fired he kept trying to prove that he was worthy of the job…. One of his many attempts to prove himself was recreating the assets arm."

Bruce paused and adjusted his glasses, "w-would you mind sharing any other attempts of his?"

"Well the James Howlet samples… I got transfusions from blood that had been tampered with to be laced with his genetic signature… after it worked he wasn't able to cut me open without me healing around the knife so he tried to reverse it… the claws came off but the healing was only weakened… " she took a deep breath, "He was upset about _that_ … somethings he didn't do to for the organization, we would just do it to see if he could…. He removed all the skin on my right arm, starting at the shoulder… it's all healed now but…." Odessa shook her head, trying to shake the memory back to the back of her mind where it belonged. "I got my mind wiped twice… the first time was unsuccessful but the other one only partially worked…. I got a kidney removed and sold but it's probably back now."

"Did he not use any morphine or amnesia?" Bruce asked, letting the nagging question escape his lips.

There was a long pause after that where Odessa looked off into space and she began to quiver, "He said they weren't necessary."

Wanda opened her eyes and broke her focus on Odessa's psyche, "Dr. Banner I think this is a good place to stop."

"…I agree."

Odessa sat with her legs crossed and a book in her lap next to Bruce who was studying her brain scans on his tablet. Both of them sharing ear buds attached to Bruce's phone. Bucky was sitting on the floor watching _Mysteries at the Museum,_ with his jaw in his hand and Vision was copying his stance in the chair behind him.

They had been sitting, relatively silently for the last fifteen minutes. Just minding their own business, Until Odessa's ear began to twitch. She took out her ear bud and stretched her hearing past the room. Her eyes looked unfocused at the ceiling and she leaned towards the door.

"What's wrong?" Bruce asked as he looked up from his tablet and adjusted his glasses for no reason.

"Someone's coming…" Odessa whispered, her voice was satiny as she tried to keep her hold on the sound of distant footsteps.

"Wanda?" Vision chimed in.

"No… these steps are heavier."

"Pietro?" Bruce asked.

"He would smell like hospital… this smells like brandy."

The living room door swung open unexpectedly to reveal everyone's favorite billionaire playboy philanthropist, Tony Stark.

"Tony!" Bruce exclaimed, absolutely breaming to see his friend.

"Welcome back Mister Stark." Vision greeted with a smile as he got out of his chair and shook Tony's hand.

Bucky didn't let the TV leave his gaze. "Hey Stark."

Odessa just gave an awkward wave and went back to her book, nervously pulling the page to her fingertips and dropping it again.

"Hey Big green! Big red, Tin man. And you. I don't think we've met." He said smiling, doing his best to turn on the charm for the lady in the room.

Odessa gave Bruce a look that said _'Who is this?! What's happening?! What do I do?!'_ Bruce just smiled and stood from the couch and motioned for her to follow. Odessa stood from the couch and walked over to where Tony was pouring a drink for himself, levitating with every step.

"Tony, this is Odessa. Odessa, Tony."

"Hi, Iron Man, nice to meet you." Tony said with a grin.

"Who?" Odessa asked, her face crinkled at 'Iron Man'.

"Oh, don't tell me you don't know! Iron man!"

Odessa face stayed in the same state of confusion.

"…. With the armor?….." Tony said, almost disappointed.

Odessa scratched her head "Sorry… I don't get out much…." She almost cringed as she spoke.

"Where has this girl been?" Tony asked Bruce sarcastically.

"You don't wanna know." Odessa replied with a light laugh as she made her way back to the couch.

"Hey, h-how did you do that?" Tony asked, gesturing to her feet as she walked away, even though his eyes were busy looking at something else of hers that was so nicely extenuated by her black cotton dress, flaring out at the hips.

Bruce nudged him, telling him to behave, which he just shrugged off.

Odessa looked back at him, her hair whipping around with her as she looked over her shoulder at him with raised eyebrows, batting her eyelashes. 'God, it's like she's not even trying.' Bruce thought. Tony decided he was going to like having her here.

She jutted out her palm and pulled her book into her hand, wrapping it in translucent, deep purple sparks. She held it flat on her hand for a moment before pushing it into the air, letting it hover over her hand before she pulled it back and continued reading.

"Ta da…." Odessa said unenthusiastically as she sat back down.

"Cool! Just like Wanda right?!"

"Well, we've got a very different skill set but essentially yes…" Odessa corrected as she tucked her hair behind her ear.

"So, how was Malibu?" Bruce asked, trying to distract Tony from making eyes at her.

A spark of jealousy twinged every time Tony looked at her. She was a beautiful girl yes, but that gave him not right to look her over like that, Bruce thought. besides they had a fairly established… _thing._ And he didn't not want tony peacocking around screwing that up.

"Great, great. Checks written, hands shaked, asses kissed. You know… Where are the twins?" Stark asked with is eyebrows raised expectantly.

"Pietro woke up two days ago and Wanda is probably down stairs entertaining him." Bruce replied as he sat back down next to Odessa and offered her an earbud witch she accepted with a smile.

"Great!" Tony looked at a very flashy looking watch and frowned, "I gotta go unpack. See ya later." He said as he winked at Odessa. To which she replied with a look that could only be described as saying, _"Ew. No. Get the ever loving fuck away from me or ill punch you so hard you'll go cross eyed_." Which made Bruce a little proud.


	12. Chapter 12: whats her deal?

Tony popped and earbud out of Bruce's ear and looked at him with raised eyebrows "So. New girl. What's her deal?" he asked over his shoulder as he studied the audio recording along with Odessa's brain patterns from the scan.

Bruce gave a deep sigh and paused the recording, "what do you mean 'her deal'?" he replied, a little annoyed at being interrupted.

"She didn't know. Who I was. My face is _everywhere_! How did she **not know** who I was?!"

Bruce rolled his eyes and went back to his screen, "I'm not indulging in your narcissistic need to be known by everyone. I have work to do." He said sternly.

"Not everyone. Every girl. And I want that girl to get to know me." Tony's devilish grin embellished by that wink made Bruce in desperate need for some deep breaths before he spoke to Tony again.

"I would **appreciate** it if you left her alone. I'm _very_ sure she does not want that kind of attention." He grumbled, turning away from his work to look at tony.

" _What?_ You guys boning or something?" tony asked a little too recklessly considering Bruce was looking for his mediation marbles.

" **Please. Tony.** " He uttered through grit teeth. Tony's attraction to Odessa, or anyone's for that matter, was tending to be a real hot button for Bruce. She was to be treated with care and respect, not used by some playboy like tony who truly only wants one thing. She and Bruce kinda sorta had a thing that he was kinda sorta fond of. Besides he defiantly intended on asking her out on a date. Now just didn't seem an opportune time for her. She was still in the middle of recovery, she had little to no social skills, she was still on the at-least-one-PTSD-episode-per-day train… it just didn't seem like a good idea at the moment. Not to mention the topic of asking her out made Bruce a little jittery. He had _no_ want for the other guy to try taking her to a movie.

" _Fine_! _Fine_! My paws are off! I don't even know why I asked. JARVIS! Give me all the files on new girl."

"Miss Odessa Brawn, _new girl,_ is mutant born in Miami, Oklahoma in 1993. Her father, born Harvey Missbrauch, later changed to Harvey Brawn was German an ex-hydra scientist with links to the winter soldier program. He died under known circumstances in his home last month. Her mother, Matilda Boyer was an American florist, and died in a car accident in Tulsa twelve years ago while visiting family. Odessa was in multiple school plays in elementary school and was an avid reader since a young age. She currently resides in Stark tower in Captain Rogers's quarters; however plans are being made for her own living space. She frequents Google and Spotify and tends to stay up past eleven o'clock." He replied obediently.

"Really Bruce? Her own room? Next thing you know she wants your credit card number and the name of your first pet!" the exasperation in Tony's voice was almost laughable.

"Nick fury has taken an interest in her becoming a member of the team and she needs some where to sleep when Steve comes back." he replied blandly as he continued to study his experiments.

Tony had a full arsenal of comments about how he would enjoy her being part of the team but did his best to muffle them (for once).

"But that still leaves the question, why doesn't she know about me? I'm almost a _household_ name." Tony stated, proudly knowing that he was only slightly exaggerating.

"I'm sure you'll find out soon enough, she's very open about it." Bruce said passively.

Tony painted on a childish pout, "but I wanna know noooowwwwHey Is that my brain scan?"

"Yes."

"You know I could sue you for using it without my permission."

"Can I use it?"

"No."

"But I need it."

"For what?"

"I'm doing a full mental analysis on someone and I need to use your brain scan as a reference for CPTSD."

"I don't have CPTSD."

"Actually both of you do."

"Fuck off."

" _You_ fuck off I need to work."

Tony gave an overdramatic sigh and went back to his work bench. He pulled over a glass screen and began typing furiously on it before he found what he was looking for.

"The patient has tested positive for the following mental conditions: severe PTSD, CPTSD, depression, anxiety, frequent and severe panic attacks, vivid flashbacks, memory gaps due to brain washing and extensive cryogenic freezing and Trypanophobia. The patient also lacks social skills and the ability to fully function by themselves; however they do tend to isolate themselves from others for extended periods of time. However, on the contrary to the subject's mental conditions is that they do, in fact, want the ability to function in society as a normal person and takes strides to do so." Tony read aloud from his screen which was now displaying Bruce's work, something he really wished Tony would stop doing, "….God, she is just a fuckin mess isn't she?"

Bruce took a deep sigh, he could go on and on about how, yes, she was a fucking mess. He could go on a full hour long rant about how she is barely any better than Bucky when they first rescued him (minus the violent outbursts of course). But instead Bruce took off his glasses for a brief moment and rubbed his eyes. "Yeah…"

Odessa stretched her legs and curled her toes around the sheets. She pried open her sore puffy eyes and turned over to look at the clock.

" _Odessa!?"_

 _The room trembled harder when Bucky called her name as he barreled through Steve's living room._

 _Odessa held the sheets in her fists like a vice and pulled her knees onto her chest until her flesh turned white._

 _Bucky crushed the doorknob like it was made of puddy instead of reinforced titanium, as he shoved the door open._

7:30. 'ugh I'd bet everyone else is awake to…' she thought to herself as he wiped a strand of hair from her eyes. 'couldn't have just stayed asleep huh 'Dessa?' she scolded herself as she thought of how she could have just missed breakfast and skipped seeing people all together.

 _Bucky had to take a step back at the pulsing energy that blew into him as the door gave way. He strained every muscle to keep himself upright and took rapid tromping steps inside, fighting the current like a salmon. The closer he got to its source the more powerful the throbbing push and pull grew. He let a pulling current take his flesh hand and placed it on Odessa shoulder. He wouldn't even care if he startled her, he didn't care if she punched him in the throat. She_ _ **needed**_ _to wake up before she hurt_ _ **herself**_ _._

Odessa stepped onto the floor and took a deep breath. She looked at the clock one more time, 'I really should get some food… and coffee. Lots of coffee.'

Trudging to her closet she glanced at a small round picture of a woman sitting on Steve's dresser. She had lovely brown hair that reminded her of her mother… she wondered what happened to her. Perhaps it was best she didn't remember she thought. It wasn't jealousy she felt towards the woman in that tiny black in white photo. Guilt maybe? She really had never cared about how she looked until now. Hell, it hadn't occurred to her that she had a face to look pretty in years. But now….. She saw the way the others looked at her. Bruce always blushed, Clint and Bucky always lingered, Tony tended to look at her in way she didn't like. His eyes trailing to places she wished they would stay away from. Quite frankly she wanted to slap him across the face for it. 'Next time.' She thought.

 _As Bucky shook her slender shoulder she curled into an even tighter ball, a cold sweat matting her hair as she began to plead to some imaginary villain, "Please!_ _ **Please**_ _!... pleease." she cried in between sobs and heaving breaths._

" _Odessa! Come on. You have to get up, please!" there was an urgent softness padding his words that melted past the memories lacing her broken mind._

Odessa wasn't in a very brightly-colored mood. She chose a black t-shirt and a maroon skirt that pulled in at the smallest part of her waist and flared out until the top of her knees along with a grey jacket. "What are you doing?" she whispered to the mirror. She quickly changed into a black shirt, jeans and a purple/grey hoodie.

 _Odessa's hand flew to Bucky's wrist and it took everything in him to ignore the instinct to break her boney little arm. Her eyes burst open, swollen and dewy. She drew in a shaky breath and she squeezed her eyes back shut for a pulse. She released Bucky's hand and glanced at him as he stumbled as the force in the air released. Bucky collapsed under his feet and sat on the floor beside the bed, resting his head on the table behind him._

 _They sat for a long moment beside each other while the girl tried to get breath back in her lungs._

" _I get um too ya know."_

 _Odessa looked at her with apology in her eyes but a lump to big in her throat to speak it._

 _Bucky gave a smile that masked his sorrow in return and he stayed with her until she fell asleep._

Odessa stood at the door. Just looking at the knob. She secretly wanted to open it and she knew Bruce would come looking for her if she didn't. But she didn't want to go down stairs. Or upstairs. Or anywhere. She wanted to just stay in this room alone for the rest of her life. No taking to anyone. No moving or doing anything. Just sitting in bed, maybe getting back the sleep all those dreams stole from her. But she just continued to stare with a blank mind at the door until she gathered the courage to turn the nob.

There was someone in the kitchen. She could hear them opening drawers and mumbling something undiscernible from the elevator. Odessa took small quiet steps towards the door, cringing at the soft crinkle of the carpet and she crept forward. She peered silently around the corner and saw Barton opening drawers, cursing, and then opening more. 'At least it's not James.' She thought, still a little off put that there _had_ to be people in the kitchen.

She took more steps into the kitchen, making soft cushioned clicks on the tile floor that she was sure would have alerted Clint of her presents. But, she was wrong. So. Very. Wrong.

Clint turned around to check another drawer in her direction and jumped when he saw there was someone in front of him. Odessa squealed in return and almost dropped the coffee pot in her hand, luckily pulling it back in her hand before it hit the ground.

"What the hell?!"

" _You_ what the hell! You didn't hear me?!"

"What?!"

"You couldn't _hear me_?!"

"God damn it…." Clint grumbled, gesturing to his hearing aids on the counter witch where surrounded by a plethora of wires and tiny round batteries.

Odessa made a dumbfounded face, not sure what to make of the devices on the counter.

"Hearing aids." Clint said while taking his crooked index finger and wrapping it around his ear, signing the words.

"I'm just here for coffee… I have no idea what " the mutant put both her hands out towards the counter, " _this_ is."

Clint put up one finger and went back to tinkering with his hearing aids on the counter. Odessa dropped both of her eyebrows and went back to pouring coffee.

"Thank god." Clint said to himself as he finally put the devices back in his ears.

Odessa grabbed the coffee cream and looked at the archer inquisitively, "What are those?" she asked all to innocently.

"My aids. The batteries were shot." He replied simply, "have your really never seen things like this?"

"No… Y'all don't understand. I don't know shit about anything. I have a _fourth_ grade education that I haven't used for the past _decade_. I have no idea what that thingy is." She said with an expressionless face. "All of **this** is _way_ out of my league. The only reason I know how to use the _coffee maker_ is because I saw people using them about a dozen years ago."

"…. Yeesh. Well I use hearing aids to, uh, aid my hearing… I'm mostly deaf."

"Mostly?"

"Yes, mostly."

"… What's this?" Odessa asked, mimicking the sign for 'hearing aid' almost perfectly.

"Its ASL for hearing aid… sign language." Clint said over his shoulder as he finished off the coffee pot and sat across from her. "What does your name mean?"

Odessa gave a soft laugh, "Wrathful. Why?" she asked with a cocked eyebrow and a suspicious half smile.

Clint's face paled slightly but he laughed it off, "yeah I won't use that." Clint put his hand in an O and moved it forward, separating his fingers as he went. Vaguely resembling Odessa's skill set. "Odessa."

"…cool." Odessa replied, genuinely amused.

"Pietro, if you insist on moving around you need to at least _walk_. You have day yet to recover and I don't want you running around and pulling a muscle!" Wanda scolded as she pushed open the door with her right hand and supported her brother with the other.

Clint's face immediately lite up when he saw the twins shuffling in the kitchen, "Pete!"

Pietro beamed, "Hey old man!" he replied as he separated from his sister to hug Clint.

Odessa's stomach dropped when she saw the new people enter the room. She wanted desperately to be invisible. One person was already enough, but three?

Odessa scooted out of her chair while Clint and the new guy caught up. She had almost made it to the door when a flash of blue materialized into a lean silver haired man who was blocking the door.

"Where are you going ? I didn't even get to say hello!" he said playfully through an accent very similar to Wanda's.

Odessa was screaming her lungs out internally.

"Leave her alone Pietro and for goodness sake slow down." Wanda badgered.

She turned to look at Odessa and could since she distress. _'Are you ok?'_ she asked through her thoughts.

' _Um, I'm- I'm fine.'_

' _Do you want to meet my brother before you leave? I think you like him.'_

' _Uh… sure.'_

Wanda gave a nod at Pietro.

"Pietro. Wanda's favorite brother." The infamous quicksilver said with a warm smile.

"Odessa… I'm an only child." She said with incredible awkwardness.

Pietro chuckled.

"Well, uh, I'm gunna go. N-nice meeting you." She choked out over her shoulder as she opened the door and left.

Pietro cocked his head to the side and opened his mouth as if to say something but he couldn't decide what.

"She just needs to get adjusted." Wanda said passively.

Odessa's sat on her bed so close to finishing her book when someone knocked on the door. They smelled a little like iron, hand sanitizer and cologne.

"It's- it's me, can I come in?" a familiar voice asked.

"Yeah sure."

Bruce stepped in the door and gave her just enough time to finish the last words, _"So, thanks to all at once and to each one, Whom we invite to see us crowned at Scone."_ Odessa closed her book after reading the words once more and looked up at Bruce who was looking at her with much interest.

"did you already finish that?" he asked as her closed _Macbeth._

"um, yeah… it was good."

"huh, wow. Anyway, I uh, I have a surprise for you."

"really? What?" Odessa asked with furrowed eyebrows.

"just come on you'll want to see this."

Bruce lead her to the elevator and they exchanged glances as they waited patiently until it rose to the floor above in-between Bucky's quarters and Wanda's.

"so uh, we can't have you keep living in Steve's place since he's and Natasha coming back tonight. But we've been working on this since a few days after you came and it was finished just in time."

He pushed the door open to reveal a fully furnished apartment. Everything in it looked absolutely lavish as she took careful steps deeper in to the apartment.

Bruce couldn't help but beam at the pure awe on her etched on her face as she scanned the room.

"It's-its, uh, all yours." Bruce said through a thick smile.

Odessa turned her attention back to Bruce, "I… I don't know what to say…"

The mutant wandered around the apartment for a while longer, peering into every room and Bruce quietly followed.

"So I saw you finished your book… would you like me to take you to get a new one?"

"Uh…"


	13. Chapter 13: bright fast and terrifying

"I—uh… it's just..."

Bruce's face fell and he could feel his heart ache, on the verge of cracking.

"wha- what's y-your hesitation?" he asked, his voice slightly shaking.

"I- its… leaving the tower?" she asked as he wrung her hands nervously, looking like a turtle about to shrink into her shell.

"Well it _is_ about time to get you acclimated to outside life. I think a library I a very good start, i-it's very quiet, and everyone minds their own business. Besides I'll be here with you and I can see if the others would like to come too."

' _So it's not me…'_ Bruce thought to himself in relief.

Odessa still didn't look completely convinced. She bit her lip and looked down at the floor; unwanted fear began to burn at the corners of her eyes.

"Do I have to decide now?" she asked softly, her features almost whining. Her eyes like those of a deer in headlights.

"Oh no no no! Of course not! T-take your time and uh, get back to me…"

"Oh, uh… ok." She replied, some of the tension unwinding from her face.

"What are we doing here?" Odessa asked Bucky as they walked up the last flight of stairs to the hanger on top of stark tower.

"Steve's comin' home… and Nat too." He replied warmly as he opened the door for her. The change of lighting was an assault on Odessa's sensitive eyes. She cringed and squinted as she followed Bucky to the side of the hangar, letting Clint, Wanda and Tony trail behind them.

"So…. Were on the top of the building-"

"Tower!" Tony interjected.

"So we're on the top of the tower because they're coming home?" Odessa asked, skeptical of how being on the roof and the arrival of strangers logically connected.

"They're flying in." Clint told her as he shielded his eyes from the sun.

"…oh."

They all waited in silences for less than five minutes before Odessa asked yet another question. "Who are Steve and Nat?"

Bucky looked at her with an understanding smile and Clint just face palmed witch earned him a growl form Bucky.

"It's ok," said Bucky as he tucked a strand of hair behind his ear, "I didn't know who he was for a while either. Steve is an avenger… like us."

"I feel like I should know this but I, uh, don't…." Bucky and Clint Tony all eyed her as she bit her lip, wondering if she should even ask. "….what is an avenger… or who is an avenger?"

Tony jumped once and pumped his fist in the air, "ITS NOT JUST ME! She doesn't know ANY of you!"

Odessa reared back and looked at Bucky, "Am I missing something?"

Bucky sighed and leaned forward to make eye contact with Wanda. "I think that's a great question for Steve." He said in an almost fatherly tone.

The helicopter landed moments later. It was something she had never seen before, a helicopter. Her eyes widened at the deep hum of the blades ripping through the air. Steve allowed Natasha out of the craft first and she was welcomed by Clint who couldn't help but grin, extremely glad to see Nat alive and well (for the most part). She returned the smile, but only to him, before she slid back on her steely façade. She gave a curt nod to Bucky returned it with a warm smile. Steve unloaded himself from the craft and Bucky's smile widened. He took a step forward and gave Steve a quick hug that he was sure tony would give him grief for eventually but he didn't care. Steve looked across at the line of people and stopped when he saw Odessa. You could see slight confusion cross his face and Odessa looked right back at him expectantly.

"Are you the gal I picked up last week?" he asked.

Panic rose in a searing heat that ghosted over her skin and Wanda could feel the anxiety clouding her mind and stepped in for her. "Yes. Her name is Odessa." Wanda replied smoothly.

Tony stepped towards Steve, leaned to his ear and muttered "don't try to make any moves on her or banner turns green… I think they're fondueing." He pulled away and winked at him and Steve blushed uncomfortably.

Odessa sighed and tapped Tony's shoulder; he turned to look at her with his eyebrows turned up. She put up a look that she probably didn't realize was seductive and whispered in his ear, "You forget, I have _very_ good hearing. And I don't take very kindly to people who whisper about me behind my back." she pulled away and was fairly satisfied with the look of horror screwed across his face as he swallowed hard.

Wanda couldn't help but laugh at the scene.

"Well, uh, miss Odessa, I'm Captain Rogers." He said coolly as he offered his hand for a hand shake which she accepted.

"h-hi…" she replied shakily.

Wanda turned to Natasha and gestured for her to do the same, "and this is agent Natasha Romanoff." Wanda said.

Natasha nodded, "hi. Have the boys been giving you much trouble?" she asked in a tone that made Odessa wonder if she was joking or not.

"Uh… no not really."

"Good. You tell me if they are. I'll take care of it." She said, her tone reminded Clint of a protective older sibling.

A smile waded across Odessa's face, "I think I can take care of myself…, uh, t-thank you."

Natasha smiled back and Steve couldn't help but look at Odessa in slight surprise, ' _maybe this girl has got some bite to her.'_ he decided he would wait to find out.

Natasha retired to her quarters and was followed by Clint, she had mentioned she wasn't feeling very well and wanted to take a nap. Bruce filled Steve in on the latest events and everything he had missed. His expression changed from soldier at attention to concerned baby brother when he told him that Bucky had been assigned to keep her flashbacks in check and that they seemed to be getting along quiet well. He discussed her training and what they knew of her skill set, how Wanda had been training her with Clint's help. How Pietro had woken up and is enthusiastic about being active again. He mentioned how Odessa had been "isolated" and "still hasn't acclimated to today's culture" yet. Steve felt an odd sense of relief as he said that. Sure she was far from his level of cluelessness, but at least it wasn't another person to mock him for it. Bruce didn't however mention what she had endured in her isolation but he was sure Bucky would keep him up to speed. Bruce was almost done briefing him when Jarvis called him, "miss brawn wishes to communicate with you over the intercom, do you wish to respond dr. banner?"

"y-yes of course." He replied

"Hey it's me…" Odessa's voice called, "I would just to your lab but uh…. But is it too late to go to the library?" he asked, her voice unsure.

Bruce's eyes lit up, "oh no. we can go now if you'd like… ill see if anyone else wants to come." He said.

"Uh, ok great…" she replied and turned off the intercom.

Bruce turned the super solider who had a look of quiet curiosity, "Steve?"

"Sure I'd love to…"

Wanda, Bucky, Steve, Bruce and Odessa all loaded into Bruce's Prius.

Odessa sat in the back near the window and was amazed at the mere existence of the van.

"Ever ridden in a car?" Bucky, who was sitting beside her asked.

She continued to survey the vehicle, tampering with the vent in front of her, "only the farm truck at home…" she breathed.

Once they had exited the car Odessa immediately, without thinking, locked arms with Bruce. Her eyes stared blankly at the people passing her.

Wanda nudged Bucky for him to see and he reacted like he had seen a puppy.

Steve immediately started looking for the history section and Bucky trailed behind him, keeping sure Odessa wasn't out of sight. Wanda looked at the new age religion books and Odessa walked hesitantly with Bruce to the fiction stories, flinching every time she saw a stranger.

Once she was in the thick of the shelves she barely noticed anything but the books. She wandered through the cases, completely transfixed only breaking her focus from the spines to ask the occasional question like "what is Nar-ni-a?" or "what does this word mean?" and Bruce would kindly answer. She would take book by book, inspecting it carefully and adding it on top of the others until she had a reasonable stack.

As she was taking a fifth book off the shelf you could see realization splatter across her face, "wait. I can take more than one right?"

"Yeah, yeah of course." Bruce replied.

Odessa sauntered over to the historical fiction, lugging her stacks of books that she assured Bruce she could carry by herself. She saw the pair of super-soldiers surveying books and decided to join them at their isle. After picking up a new book about some cliché medieval princess Odessa turned to Steve and asked, "Who are the Avengers?" her voice slightly wavering as she asked. She wasn't entirely sure what his reaction would be. In the environment she was raised in, questions were associated with anger and pain and asking a question to a person she had hardly met put her slightly on edge. But, she fancied herself a fast learner, a fast healer, and this new place and these new people met questions with smiles and answers. 'What's the worst that could happen?' She thought '… might be best to keep your mind away from that.'

'Who are the avengers?' that question had plagued captain America since he had joined the team. Simple questions like where they stood and what they fought for he couldn't find himself to answer. Shield's new policies were really warping his image of what the avengers stood for. They were once a team assembled of earths mightiest heroes, created to save those how couldn't save themselves from threats greater than themselves. but now they had become a task force that had been squandered for a better public view for an organization bent on being keeping peace, no matter how twisted the method. He was very aware that project incite was concocted by a hydra rat but that didn't excuse the fact that the world council, nick fury and all other shield superiors had agreed to it and supported it. The line between good and bad had been to greatly blurred for Steve to truly know 'who are the avengers.' But if she was asking he would do his best to answer.

So steve explained.

there was a rundown burger joint down the street that steve assure the group was good at one time, where they had seated themselves. odessa sat with bruce, leaning slightly agaisnt him in a booth across from wanda; and of course bucky and steve sat in the boot behind them. steve peered over buckys sholder and noticed the how at ease odessa was when her skin brushed bruces sholder. how he blushed and tucked her hair behind her ear when she was too inveloped in her newly borrowed book to notice it was out of its place. or perhaps he wanted to see the way her lips slowly sounded out the words she didnt remember, her soft features curling at her lips when she got a sentence right. he was reminded of a girl bucky had been going steady with. charlotte was her name. bucky had said he thought is was love. they were in the same poposition in a closing drug store when she said she had wanted two babies when she got married. She had already picked out names. And Bucky thought they would never part. But young love is young love. It burns bright and fast.

Steve shook his head to dislodge the memory and went back to reminiscing about the restaurant with the waitress.

"Odessa?... Odessa?" Wanda called softly.

She looked up from her book hazily, "Hmm? Yes?"

"i forgot my phone in the car, would you mind grabbing it?" Wanda asked

"Sure." She replied as she let go of Bruce's hand which he hand been holding so discreetly under the table.

Bruce watched her walk from the the booth, past the ringing bell that sang when a customer arrived and out the door to the car. He watched her take the keys he had handed her and unlock the door, and take Wanda's phone. He watched a shady looking man, maybe in his late thirties step behind her, reach around her neck and press a blade to her throat and growl for her not to scream.

The Other Guy saw her burst the air around her, sending the would be thief slamming feet away from her on the pathment.

Odessa froze over in shock as the green abomination thrashed before her. She knew who it was. She could smell his cologne stretched across his muscular mass of olive skin. She could still hear his voice beneath the layers of the throbbing roar bellowing through her ears.

She was paralyzed as the monster grabbed the muggar in one massive emerald fist and wailed, spit spraying the man's body as the hulk screamed. The hulk tossed the man in the air and caught him by the leg. A sickening _crack_ bled into the the air as the monster whacked his new chew toy against the pathment fist on this right, then to his left. He rose his fist in the air, almost four stories high, a half dead carcass dangling from his grip and slammed it against the ground with a roar. leaving a six foot deep crater with a corps at the bottom.

The terror and adrenaline flying thro odessa's veins fogged her mind as she stood in shock. So much so that she didn't hear him howl "YOU. DONT. TOUCH. MY. GIIRRRRLLLL!"

 _'It isn't bruce. But it_ _**is**_ _.' W_ as what filled her mind as a replacement.

So she ran.

 **i am SO sorry that this is coming so late. i have a shit ton of school work to keep up with. i hope you enjoy!**


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